Coming Undone
by Valentine'sNinja
Summary: AU. There was nothing left in her but a thirst for revenge and violence, or at least she thought so until she met a man who made her temper flare and her heartbeat quicken. CloudTifa, rating for adult themes. Gift fic for ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie.
1. Chapter 1

Now, I know you're wondering _why_ I've started another fic, but let's face it… I'm a dork and I can't seem to stop myself. Now this fic is for the very cool ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie, who is also writing an awesome ZackTifa fic for me, so check out, _"Fill My Blank Page,"_ which is under my favorites. Her prompt for this story was this one: Cloud is a member of an ecoterrorist group who is scarred from being a member of a child militia and Tifa is a sadistic mercenary on a team with her two older brothers.

Now, this fic may seem OOC, but I promise that it will be explained soon. Tifa is also kind of bitchy and unnecessarily violent as well as OOC, but I think it's a good change from her being the kindhearted girl in all of the fics out there. There will be an explanation as to why she is the way she is too, but that'll be in the next chapter. Also, this is a major post-apocalyptic AU, and all main characters from the games have different roles while this fic follows some of the DoC events.

Warnings: Blood, violence, and language(each chapter will have its own warnings), so please read if these things don't bother you. You've been warned, now enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or any of the characters used in this piece of fiction. I am making no money off of them.

……………………………

**Coming Undone**

……………………………

_He had been discovered. His only job to keep his stomach full and his head on his shoulders—literally—had been to make his way into the enemy's camp and listen in on the main tent. But he had been caught, his hair giving him away like a beacon of light in the dead of night. He was still running, his lungs burning in his small chest, and his heart threatening to escape in fear._

_The loud crack of bullets hitting the tree he had passed only seconds before made a small noise of fear escape through his lips and he ducked, throwing himself into dense shrubbery and hoping that no one had seen him do so. But his plan backfired and he felt the ground fall from under him as he rolled, giving way to a slope. He didn't know how long he rolled, feeling rocks and branches scrape at his body, cutting and making him bleed until he finally came to a stop with a small groan of pain at the bottom._

_He could hear his pursuers shouting and attempting to figure out where he had gone; it was possible that someone may have heard his fall. He stayed still, trying to keep his sounds of pain as quiet as he could manage, but he could feel the trickle of blood traveling warm and slick down his cheek from his split eyebrow, and one of his wrists ached from landing on it._

"_Burn it all down," said a cool, deep voice. "And go to the closest town. Kill all of the children."_

_A ragged sob lodged in his throat, and he heard some grenades go off too close to him. The fire spread quickly over the dry land he had rolled down through, and it all went up faster than he could follow. A pain filled scream echoed over the roar of the fire as the flames licked at him, ate at his flesh… and he rolled to make it stop, but it was too late. His skin had been damaged and it throbbed painfully. None of it mattered because he had to get away from the fire and warn the others. They would kill his friends, and it was all his fault! _

_He ran, but there was only so much that his little body was willing to give, especially after the injuries he had sustained. He had tried to do his job, tried to get the information they had wanted, but it hadn't been enough! So many kids dead because of him. It was all his fault. For being weak, and for not being good enough to do what had been necessary. He was a failure. _A failure!

"Cloud."

"…failure."

"Wake up kid."

Someone was shaking him, and he sat up with a start, blinking his eyes in the darkness. He stared up into the familiar frown of Barret's dark face and realized that his breathing was shaky. "What time is it?" he asked, feeling his throat dry, and still hearing the echoes of gunshots and roaring fires from his dream.

"Sun isn't up yet, but I could hear ya having a bad dream," said Barret. "Wanna talk about it, Spike?"

He shook his blond head. "I just need to fight it off," Cloud said, standing and grabbing his massive sword from the corner of his tent. "I'll be in the surrounding area, scouting for monsters."

"We're going into Rocket Town to see if we can get any information on the people I want to hire to help us. We're losing our defenses, kid. We need these characters," said Barret seriously.

"You mean these mercenaries," Cloud spat, feeling disgust at the mere thought of them. People who worked for the highest bidder deserved nothing but their scorn. How could he respect them when they would sooner work for their enemies if they had enough gil to pay them? But Barret was right. They were losing against Weiss and if they didn't do something quickly, they would be really dead, really soon.

"I'll be back in thirty," Cloud said before stepping out of his tent. He let the cool air surround him for a second, and basked in the moments before the sun completely rose. It was those moments, when everything was serene and quiet that he felt at peace with himself, at least for only a few minutes. Then he began to move through their camp. His tent had been located towards the outside, near the trees, since he was one of the best fighters and the most alert. The resistance slept in one of the last forests left in the world, and also the biggest. Weiss had searched for them, but the only thing that had kept them alive so far had been moving to different locations every one to two weeks; it was like living like a nomad.

Cloud couldn't remember the last time he had slept on a proper bed and not a cot, but there were no major cities left, only small towns where the people lived in fear of Weiss and his unpredictable attacks. It had been years since the planet had been alive and healthy, but it had all gone to waste and damaged lands around them.

A man known as Weiss had left the world in ruins in his attempt to take over, and all that had been left of the resistance in the major cities were scattered soldiers looking for a way to survive without being discovered. Cloud didn't know how a band of rebels had managed to hold out against Weiss for so long, but they had. The worst part about it all was that they were still losing. Only last night they had gotten word that Weiss had taken over Bone Village, where their comrades had been massacred without mercy.

Cloud honestly didn't know what Weiss would do with the wasteland that the planet was becoming, but he wasn't willing to sit back and let it happen. Taking care of his morning business before anything else, Cloud took a moment to wash his hands and his face in the nearby stream. He stared down at his left hand and clenched his fist as he felt the lick of flames of so many years ago. The skin there was scarred to the point of looking melted, as if someone had thrown candle wax over his hand and arm, reaching an inch or two before his elbow. At least it didn't take up his entire arm, but it was there as a reminder of those who had died when he had been a scared ten year-old informant, recruited into the rebels' army, when first the war had started.

The scar was a part of him now, and though he had grown used to it, he hadn't let anyone see it aside from the leader of the resistance; his right hand was thankfully unmarked except for a few scars from cuts.

He had never blamed Barret, or anyone else for what had happened to him. The death of those children who had once been his friends and had been murdered because he had been discovered would always be a great weight he carried on his shoulders, even now, thirteen years later. He was twenty-three, scarred and bitter, and he feared that there was nothing that would be able to change that. He also knew that there was a great possibility that he would die before he saw his twenty-fifth birthday, and a part of him had made peace with that fact. He just hoped that this battle with Weiss ended soon.

Rustling in nearby bushes put him on alert and Cloud drew his sword slowly, taking a fighting stance. The surrounding area of their camp had been cleared of monsters for days now, thanks to him, and the remaining scent of blood from their kin had kept other monsters from wandering too close. He smirked to himself and let loose a breath when he saw a chocobo step through. It looked like his morning would start out a little slow, he realized, inserting a chocobo lure materia into his bracer.

………

Stepping into the dingy atmosphere of a bar in Rocket Town, Barret gave Cloud a nod and the blond walked off to take a seat in a far corner where he could get a clear view of the entire bar. There were very few people scattered, sitting at tables and nursing drinks. Rocket Town wasn't an important town for their enemies, therefore it had been left alone, but the town was rundown and had very little resources. It was the reason why there were so few bar patrons and why it had been the perfect place for the meeting with the man who would set up an encounter with the mercenaries Barret wanted to hire. After ordering a beer so that he wouldn't look too suspicious, Cloud took a look at each individual seated around the bar.

After only a few seconds, he was able to deduce that one looked out of place. The man was sitting in the opposite corner from his, with a black cloak that fell over thin shoulders, obscuring his face and only exposing the tip of his nose. The rest of his garb was meant to conceal weapons and add bulk when there obviously wasn't much, Cloud mused.

What made his senses stand on edge though, was the weapon strapped to the man's back, deceptively thin looking, but it looked like some variation of a katana, a weapon Cloud had heard was only seen in what was left of Wutai. The face lifted, and Cloud got a glimpse of dark wine before the hood of the cloak fell lower. Cloud blinked and turned his attention back to Barret, who was now talking to the bartender. The dark man nodded and paid for his beer before gulping it down in a few seconds. Then he turned and motioned for Cloud to follow him out the door.

"What'd he say?" Cloud asked.

"That we should talk ta Highwind."

"Who is he and why would he know about these people?"

"They're old friends, says the bartender. I'd be suspicious if I hadn't been told that Highwind used ta be a pilot, back when ShinRa was prosperous. Anyone connected to ShinRa or the WRO must hold a grudge, and I'm counting on that fact so that he'll help us."

Cloud nodded and felt a prickle of foreboding run down his spine, as if they were being watched. He faked a stretch and tried to look behind him, but he didn't catch any suspicious movement. "We should hurry. I have a bad feeling about all this."

Barret nodded and they quickened their pace. He had learned to not doubt Cloud's instincts because they were rarely wrong. He was a good kid, with a sad past, and Barret had come to care for him like the son he had never had and had once upon a time wanted. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Barret and Cloud came upon a house almost at the other end of the town. There was an airship hangar a distance away, and the house looked a bit run down. He pushed past the ragged picket fence and approached the door, Cloud behind him, before knocking twice.

"…the fuck is it?" a loud voice called from inside.

"We're here ta see Highwind."

"What for?" A blond man came up to the door and gave them both the stink eye.

"Business," Cloud replied this time. "Can we come in?"

Highwind grunted and opened the door, casting a look outside to make sure that no one had followed them, or that it wasn't some type of trap. He shut both doors and guided the men down into the basement. "What do ya need?"

"We want ta hire some people. I was told that you were the one ta talk to," said Barret.

"Hire them for what?" asked the blond, lighting up a cigarette.

"That's personal."

"Well shit. I won't be able to get them to come unless I tell them what it's for. If it's something dangerous, they'll want to know if they're risking their asses and for how much."

"Highwind—"

"Cid."

Barret nodded. "Cid… how can we trust that you won't say a thing?"

"It's against Weiss and Deepground, isn't it?" Cid asked, letting out a long cloud of smoke. "Recognized the kid's hair. You're part of the resistance, right?"

Cloud shifted and his hands opened and closed in agitation. "Can we trust you?" he repeated.

"I want in, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you came calling for help," Cid muttered, turning to shift through some papers. He pulled out one and showed it to them. "Weiss owes me."

Barret took the paper and read through it in seconds before passing it over to Cloud. It was a newspaper clipping of the death of some Shinra workers, and among them had been one Shera Highwind… "Wife?"

Cid nodded once and took a longer drag from his cigarette. "You want to hire the Triad of Blood, don't ya?"

"We want to hit one of their base cities, but we don't have enough people. We heard that they took out Gongaga last month and we want to hit Nibelheim next," Cloud said.

"Because of the reactor?" Cid questioned, taking back the newspaper article and placing into a dirty box, which could've possibly been a jewelry box once upon a time.

"We want to cut off their feet from under them," Barret said.

Cid nodded and was about to reply when an explosion sounded off outside. All three took the stairs two at a time, and Cloud was swinging his massive sword around before they hit the front yard. The direction from where they had come from now had black smoke rising from it, and Cloud realized with a start that it was coming from the bar. "Someone knows we're here," he said, looking at Cid.

"Don't look at me!" yelled Cid. "I was with the both of you!"

"There was a suspicious man at the bar, and right before we came to your house I felt like we were being watched. Someone must've heard about our meeting," said Cloud.

Barret let out a dark growl and his prosthetic hand shifted and turned into a massive gun. "We gotta help these people," he said.

"I'm gonna get my airship warmed so that we can get outta here. Tell the people to get to the hangar or they're all toast," Cid said before he took off at a run.

Cloud nodded at Barret and the both of them ran towards the danger. They knew that Deepground took very few prisoners; the rest of the people in the towns they passed through were usually massacred. Some of the young women were taken, and Barret shuddered to think of what happened to them.

When they arrived, troops of Deepground soldiers were dropping down on them from helicopters that had started to circle and had begun to fire at everyone they saw moving. Cloud ran forward and swung his sword above his head once before bring it down on some soldiers cocking their guns to fire at a family. They went down, sliced cleanly in half, but he didn't stop to check them. He quickly moved on, cutting through the hundreds that had seemed to come out of nowhere and were setting fire to what had been left of Rocket Town.

Bullets from Barret's gun were easy to identify and separate from those of their enemies, and Cloud knew that the older man could hold his own, so he had nothing to worry about for the moment. Well, except for the helicopters, which had noticed his blond head and were turning for a better shot at him. He dove to the side when a missile was launched, and watched as a group of establishments went up in a wall of fire and smoke behind him. He impaled a soldier running towards him before he turned and severed the head of another, grimacing as blood splattered his gloves.

The sound of another missile being fired reached his ears and he turned, watching as if in slow motion as the weapon raced towards him. His stance shifted, and he gripped his sword tighter, hoping that the move worked. As his blade rose, something black dove at him and they rolled, while behind him, another explosion nearly deafened him, followed by the tingle of materia over his skin. The black blur stood quickly and took off at a run, pulling a serrated katana from his back and cutting through the soldiers with deadly accuracy and little effort.

Cloud recognized him as the guy from the bar and frowned, wondering what his intentions were. He was still keeping his face hidden, and Cloud was fairly certain that _he_ had been the one following them. Clenching his fists in rage at being saved like some infant, he took off after the figure and made it a point to kill more soldiers than the other guy.

Above them, one of the helicopters exploded and the rotor blades fell, still turning and deadly, slicing through some of their enemies as both Cloud and the other guy dove back and out of the way. Cloud got to his feet and surveyed the battle; there were only about twenty soldiers left. A figure in red dropped down in front of Cloud and gave him a nod before pointing his gun towards a soldier's head, firing off one round from a triple-barreled gun.

"Who are you?" Cloud yelled over the roar of fire and more gunshots.

"There is no time for introductions now. My brother is directing the survivors away, but more soldiers will arrive if we do not leave."

Cloud grunted. "The hangar…"

"We know," the man in red cloak and black leather said, motioning towards the figure in black. The guy nodded and before he could take off at a run, he turned his katana around and rammed it under his arm, cutting into a soldier that had been creeping up behind him.

"We gotta go, kid," Barret yelled, grabbing Cloud by his elbow and pulling him along. "That guy there says that they're getting reports of more soldiers coming and I'm running outta ammo."

Cloud nodded and ran, watching for the guy in black. Something about him was making him wary, but they had helped, so Cloud would give them that. The roar of the airship made him turn to look as it left the hangar and closed in on them. Someone dropped down a rope ladder and the man in red directed them to all go before him. Once they were safely on board, Cid took off at amazing speed towards the sky.

"Where are we going?" Barret asked, entering the cockpit.

"First we need to lose them assholes and make sure that they ain't following us. Then we're heading towards the outskirts of Gongaga. We have a secret hideout there," Cid replied.

"That ain't necessary. We have a place in the forests of Kalm, and I think that with some maneuvering, we can camouflage the ship," Barret said. He turned to the man in red and black, and grunted. "Who are you?"

"I'm part of the group you were seeking. There must've been someone watching out for you because Weiss was quick to send his men to capture you," said the man.

Cid took a step away from the controls and one of his aids, who had been working in the ship before the attack started, took over. "This is Vincent. His brother Nero is somewhere on board, and that's Tifa," he waved towards a figure sitting near the ceiling of the airship, on a metal beam.

Cloud looked up with wide eyes, watching the _woman_ as she sat with one leg dangling over the beam, and the other raised at the knee. Her features were still hidden, but he could tell that she was cleaning her serrated katana from the blood. "How do you know them?"

"Old friends," Vincent replied before Cid could give his own colorful version. "What job did you have in mind?"

"An attack on one of the towns that Weiss controls," said Barret.

"Let us go and speak of this in private," Vincent said, motioning towards the door.

Nero, the other brother chose that moment to step in, and Cloud watched him in curiosity. With amber eyes and jet black hair, he had an air of Vincent, but Cloud wouldn't have known that they were related. He was wearing some sort of mask on his face, and a blue suit. What drew Cloud's attention though, were the two guns on the thigh holsters he carried. They looked expensive and deadly and Cloud had no doubt that they had had their fair share of kills.

Nero looked up towards his sister and motioned for her to come down. "I need you to help me with something."

Tifa dropped down in one jump and landed nimbly on her feet, pushing back her hood. The force of her wine colored eyes met Cloud's blue and she gave him a cold look before she walked away with her brother. Cloud couldn't help his eyes as they followed the motion of her hips, especially with the form fitting pants and high boots she was dressed in. He could tell that inside of her left boot, there was a hidden blade, and that there was an outline of a gun at her back. It wasn't noticeable to the untrained eye, but he had been in the rebel group too long, and had been taught how to see dangers for him to not be able to catch at least half of the weapons she carried. There were probably more, in places more craftily hidden, Cloud knew.

"Put your eyes back into your damn head," muttered Cid. "That one there is untouchable."

"Why?" Cloud asked, genuinely curious.

"She'd sooner slit your throat than kiss it." He lit up another cigarette. "She's also the deadliest one of the three, so I suggest you keep your distance from her."

"I'm not looking for anymore problems," Cloud muttered, rubbing one of his wrists above the material of his glove. "Is there somewhere I can wash up?"

"Yeah. Grab a room below and settle in. We'll sure as hell need some type of briefing or meeting later on to know what plan you and your boss have in mind," Cid said before returning to steer the airship.

Cloud grunted and walked out of the room slowly, shaking his head. How the hell had Weiss known that they would be in Rocket Town? The only way he could think of was someone from their camp having talked too much, or someone was playing double agent. It couldn't be Wedge, or Biggs… but after the death of Jessie, the both of them had gotten into a drinking problem and when there wasn't an impending attack on their enemies, they were usually drunk off their asses. Cloud figured he would have to talk to Barret about them sooner rather than later.

Wandering down towards the lower level of the airship, Cloud decided to try a random room to see if it was empty. But as the door 'swooshed' open, he realized that it wasn't. Tifa was standing in front of a mirror, toweling her face with a damp cloth and in nothing but her boots, pants, and a bra.

Cloud flushed in embarrassment and floundered around for something to say. _An apology, you idiot! _his brain screamed at him. But she beat him to it with a snide remark.

"Didn't your mother teach you how to knock?" she asked, turning away from him again, and continuing to wash her face.

"My mother died the day I was born," Cloud snapped, annoyed by her attitude.

Tifa's shoulders seemed to sink slightly. "Sorry," she muttered, so low that he almost missed it.

"It's fine. We don't know each other, so you couldn't have known." He stood at the doorway for a moment until Tifa set down the towel and turned to look at him.

"Is there something you need?" she asked.

Cloud shifted and a slight blush crept up his neck as he tried to keep his eyes on her face; it really was hard, considering the fact that she was more _endowed _than any other woman he had met so far. "No. I guess not," he said before he walked off. Well, she sure as hell was one rude bi—

"Hey," he heard Tifa call him.

The blond turned to look behind him, taking note that she was wearing a jacket and was zipping it up. "What?" he asked rudely, exhaustion from the battle and from the travel before it catching up to him.

"I saw the way you fought. The sword… where did you get it?"

Cloud felt his chest ache at the memories. "A friend gave it to me a long time ago. He died too." His last comment had been unnecessary, especially considering the fact that she was a stranger, but he had felt compelled to tell her for some reason.

Tifa nodded once and zipped her jacket higher when she noticed his blue gaze on the cluster of scars traveling across her collarbone. "Get some rest," she said flatly, before she was gone.

Cloud watched her go with a small frown and then shrugged to himself. She didn't look like the bloodthirsty mercenary he had heard stories of, but he had seen her fight, and the efficiency and lack of remorse she displayed were something to be admired, and feared. Cloud wondered why she had become that way, since even he had his moments of grief every time he took a life. Deepground soldiers had been people once too, but Weiss' secret scientist had been cranking out enhanced soldiers every month, and he and Barret had learned a while back that he had used average people that he captured to produce his army.

He and Barret also had a plan to find that lab where the experiments went on to blow it to pieces. It would be a huge setback for Weiss' power structure. Finding himself an empty room, he set down his sword near the bed and pulled off his shirt to take a shower in the small bathroom located inside his room. There would be time enough to discuss a new way for them to defy death soon enough.

………

"Nibelheim is one of the most guarded."

Vincent grunted and nodded. "It makes you wonder if they're hiding a secret there."

Tifa sighed and found her eyes shifting to the blond standing next to Nero. He'd been stealing glances at her for a few minutes now, and though it irritated her, she couldn't say that she really minded. He was a looker. "Can we do it or not?" she asked, pushing away her annoying thoughts.

"We can do it," Nero started. "But there's one thing we haven't discussed yet."

Cloud's blue eyes slid to her before he looked at her brothers. "We can pay you half now, and half after it's done."

"Afraid we might run off with your gil?" Tifa snarked.

"Anything can be expected from a mercenary, right?" Cloud countered.

Tifa's hand slipped over her thigh and over the knife hidden in a pocket there, almost as a knee-jerk reaction. Vincent gave her a warning look and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring right back. "It is almost a sure thing that you will lose fellow soldiers if you go with us."

"We need you to be our muscle while we take out the reactor," said Barret. "We have our best tech working on some bombs, while we've had others gather the designs of these reactors so we know where best to hit. Everyone who goes into battles with us knows the risks and they make the decisions themselves. They ain't forced."

"They'll get in the way," Tifa said coolly, beginning to pull her long hair from the braid it had been in. "Vincent and I can take the DG soldiers while Nero takes out the reactor. Your people don't need to go."

"You're seriously full of yourself," Cloud snapped, getting closer to the circle of people that had been discussing the mission, and as a result, closer to Tifa. "You can't possibly take Nibelheim the same way you took Gongaga. Nibelheim has twice as many soldiers because of the reactor."

"Care to test that theory, canary?" Tifa asked, taking a step towards him too, even as Vincent pushed her back.

Cloud felt his anger rise inside him at the jab at his hair color. Really, what was wrong with being blond? "Any day, princess. I'm not adverse to the idea of hitting a girl. Especially when she's asking for it."

"Enough!" Vincent finally snapped. "Unless you want to wait the meeting out in your room, cool it," he hissed at Tifa, who looked like she wanted to knock her own brother's head off, but she nodded curtly and took a few steps back. Vincent looked at Cloud next, but he merely stared right back, unfazed. "Stop goading her. I know you do it as a result of her needling you, but there should be one of you who shows an ounce of maturity. If it's not her, it should be you."

"Kiss my ass, Vincent," Tifa grumbled.

"Act like a child, expect to be treated like on," Vincent replied.

Nero just kept an impassive look on his face and ignored his youngest sibling and the blond. He could see that eventually they would end up fucking each other; it was really only a matter of time until the tension exploded. And though it was pretty disgusting to even consider it, he realized that his sister probably needed it.

"This is one fucking dysfunctional group," Cid commented, handing Barret a cigarette and they both lit up.

"Shit, tell me about it. I'd never seen Cloud so easily riled up," Barret muttered, loud enough for only the blond pilot to hear.

Cid snickered but abruptly cut himself off when Tifa's gaze snapped to him. Damn, but the girl had gotten good at the intimidating thing. Despite the fact that he had known her for roughly two years, and that he cared for her as a daughter, she scared him sometimes. She had a high body count, and it seemed that every time she returned from an attack, she was covered in blood. Cid had to guess that that was the reason why she wore black. He knew that her past hadn't been good to her, especially considering the three years she had spent under Weiss' captivity, and Cid got the feeling that she would never be truly okay after that time. He gave her a small nod, and she countered it with a softening of her frown and a slight nod too.

"I think that before we get to your hideout, we need to make a stop by our hidden stash of weapons. I am running low on ammunition, so is Nero, and we may have some things that can be used to take out the reactors," Vincent said.

"I'm assuming your help won't be free," Cloud said, calm.

Nero smirked at the man. "The area where we left our weapons is infested with monsters now. It'll take some doing to get passed them."

Cloud cracked his knuckles as his eyes met Tifa. "I'll clear a path."

"After I get through them first," Tifa said.

"Give it a fuckin' break," Cid said in annoyance. "We'll all chop through the fiends together. No need to get into a friggin' competition. Not now."

"Cid's right. We don't have the time to bullshit around. Weiss may still be on the lookout for us. Kick each other's asses once we're back at camp," said Barret.

Vincent let out an irritated sigh and shared a look with Nero. He was getting tired of the situation and it had only been a few hours since it had started. Might as well get some rest while they all could, and before Tifa and Cloud killed them all of a migraine.

………

The area where _The Shera_—Cid's airship—had settled down in was nothing but massive caves in an area where there was no wilderness and no life other than the monsters lurking. Cloud and Tifa were the first up, since they were the muscle, Cid followed with his own spear-like weapon, and Barret, Vincent, and Nero were last, since they would take care of the fiends that escaped the first three.

The monsters were of a variety that Cloud hadn't seen before, which meant that Weiss' scientist was at it with his experiments again. Shifting his massive buster sword, he cut through the first group of fiends as if they were paper, noticing that Tifa's serrated katana was as sharp and effective as his weapon. He also had to stare when he saw that way she killed the monsters. Instead of one good swipe at the throat, she drove her weapon through their skulls, causing an unnecessary mess once she pulled it out.

"Got a problem with my method?" Tifa asked, turning her sword with a quick movement of her wrist.

"You like to inflict the most amount of pain possible. I get it," Cloud muttered, marching ahead of her.

Tifa grit her teeth and raced ahead of him, taking out the monster he had been about to impale. "You know nothing about me," she snapped, ignoring the monster blood now staining her boots and gloves.

"Nor do I wish to know more," Cloud added, noticing the way her eyes filled with rage, making them take on a more reddish hue.

She was in his face in seconds. "You and I have a serious problem."

His own eyes were beginning to glow in his anger as he faced her. The monsters were forgotten as they stood in their own little bubble of fury and dislike for each other. "Really?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And what do you plan to do about it?"

Bullets were still raining around them as the rest of their party took over in the task of taking out the monsters that had begun to swarm out of their hideouts. Grumbling from their companions was drowned out by growls and howls of pain as bullets pierced some monsters and killed others.

Tifa kept her burning eyes on Cloud as she lowered her stance and then swung her blade in an arc, slicing through three throats almost simultaneously. "I plan to deal with it as soon as we have the time. Besides, I think Vincent and Barret are getting tired of shooting," she said before turning and beginning to slice through the monsters once more.

"Tired? I ain't tired," came Barret's indignant reply. Vincent just ignored the immaturity all around him and said nothing.

Nero approached Cloud, following after his older brother and sister and paused. "I think she likes you."

Cloud gave him a bewildered look. "What? Why do you say that?"

Amber eyes were amused. "You're still breathing, aren't you?"

"She kills people she doesn't like?" Cloud asked flatly.

"Slits their throats," Nero said, unperturbed by his own words.

Cloud looked disturbed. What kind of people had they run into? Barret was out of his mind in even thinking that hiring the mercenaries would be a good idea. "And you're okay with it? You've watched her do it?"

"Hmm," was Nero's only reply before he walked away, casually shooting monsters.

By the time they reached the cave, they had left a trail of dead monsters, gore, and blood on the dusty landscape. Tifa didn't look like she minded the blood, but she did complain about getting new boots, since the ones she was wearing would be stained beyond any help. Cloud watched her as she and her brothers went through the steel cases, all filled with weapons and ammunition, until she came to one lone, flat box.

Her face remained collected, but her eyes, her eyes seemed to dim as she opened the box and inspected its content. Her gloved fingertips slid over something silver and sharp, and as if feeling his eyes on her, her gaze snapped up to his. She gave him an aggravated look but said nothing on him observing her. Tifa then grabbed the weapon she had been inspecting, and Cloud saw that it was an oversized shuriken. She strapped it onto her back then, and proceeded to load up with mastered summon materia and a few other blades that looked right at home in her hands.

"Here," she said, throwing a small box at him.

"What's this?" Cloud asked.

"A mastered cure and restore materia," said Tifa, beginning to walk off.

"Being nice to me now?" he asked, removing the orbs and swapping them with his own unmastered ones.

"You'll need them for when I break your face, remember?" she asked, smirking.

Cloud rolled his blue eyes and let out a long sigh. This would prove to be the most difficult of his battles, he realized. Having a bloodthirsty mercenary who apparently liked him—but acted like she would rather kill him—nearby would try on his patience.

"Let's move out, we need to get these ta Reeve," Barret called from the mouth of the cave before he took hold of the handle of a large container, while Cid took the other.

Making sure that her braided hair wasn't within reach of the sharp weapon at her back, Tifa moved out of the cave with the others. She and the blond had started out on the wrong foot, and it seemed it would keep being that way for a while. She would've remained silent and disconnected from their employers had it not been for the fact that they were the rebellion responsible for making Weiss' life hell. In that respect, they were on the same page and she would've gladly helped, even without pay. The destroyer of the planet owed her three years of her life, and so much more. It was about time he paid his dues.

…

…

…

…

…

I want to mention that this fic(as well as being an interesting prompt) was inspired by four things. The first would be Aveira's stories, _"Rogue," and, "Preliator," _which are great fics, so go and read those too. Also, Korn's "Coming Undone," and, "Animal I have Become," by Three Days Grace were the other sources of my inspiration. I really hope everyone enjoyed this, and Valk, sorry it's a day later than promised. I can't say when I'll have the next chapter, but I promise to hurry, since this fic has me itching to write more and quickly. LG is not forgotten, so don't worry(if you're a returning reader). Thank you so much for reading and I hope everyone had a good holiday!


	2. Chapter 2

Valk, this is your late x-mas gift and I really hope you like it! Also, it's you're fault I'm listening to Nightwish now, though it's not a bad thing. This chapter was inspired by Nightwish's _Bye, Bye Beautiful, _and Beyoncé's _Broken-Hearted Girl. _Enjoy!

Warnings: Much more blood and violence than the last chapter. Please read with caution.

………………………………

**Coming Undone**

………………………………

Tifa watched Cloud through speculative eyes. Since he had decided to study her—against her will of course—she might as well return the favor. She observed him as he trudged through the mess of monsters along their path. His own boots were stained, but because of his massive sword, his gloves were intact, as was the rest of his clothing. What she found interesting though, was that one of his gloves was shorter than the other, and the longest reached him at mid-forearm.

He looked battle hardened, but he couldn't have been any older than her. She wasn't naïve enough to think herself the most damaged of the group. Since there was no innocence left in the world that Weiss was destroying, all she knew was that her own experiences had made her who she was. Having been born in the town where their next attack would take place, she had grown up sheltered from the war going on in the big cities between Shinra and the WRO, and Deepground. It wasn't until years later that Nibelheim had been targeted because of the reactor.

She'd been a sweet, guileless country girl. She had been in love, and she'd had her perfect little life. She hadn't even been capable of seeing how it was that her father and Vincent brought home fresh cow meat, or chicken. She had been foolish to believe that her nice life would last forever. Before long, their town had been attacked, and she had learned what true blood and gore looked like. Vincent and Nero had been away, already working as mercenaries, and they hadn't been present when it had all happened, thinking that they would be safe enough. Townspeople had been killed, young girls taken, and the rest of her family… murdered.

"For Ifrit's sake, are you going to stand and daydream all day?"

Tifa's hands clenched into fists and the dirty leather groaned with the force. "Unless you want to find yourself a few spikes short tonight, chocobo-head, I suggest you leave me the hell alone," she bit back.

Cloud just smirked and ignored the aggravated look Barret was sending him, and Tifa's insult towards his hair; he'd heard them all before, and he had learned to ignore them. Most of the time. "Get a move on before Weiss finds us. We need to get our tech to outfit the ship with a cloaking device, but for that, we need to get to camp fast," he said, more serious.

"Get the move on, ladies, and Tifa," Cid called. Snickers were heard but quickly silenced as Tifa looked around.

"Cid, do you really want to bear the brunt of my anger?" Tifa asked him, shifting her tone to the sweetest voice both Cloud and Barret had ever heard.

Cid chewed at an unlit cigarette and sighed. "Let's go," he muttered, casually leaning his weapon against his shoulder before he turned and began to walk again.

Tifa let it go and continued on her way too, making sure to keep her eyes to herself and as far away from the blond prick as possible. The next time they got into an argument, it was almost a sure thing that it would become a physical fight, but for now, her patience hadn't been _completely _depleted.

Cloud watched her as she walked away, keeping her gaze to the ground and her gloved hands in fists. He was beginning to regret antagonizing her so much, especially after she'd gotten that far-off look in her eyes when she'd seen that Wutain weapon, but he had to remind himself that they weren't friends, or even acquaintances. This woman was a trained, professional killer, and the last thing she wanted was to make peace and be his friend. Might as well just stop picking at the fire breathing dragon before he got burned. Besides, he liked his hair the way it was.

………………

Their camp wasn't much, but it was hidden and camouflaged by dense greens. It had been a long time since Tifa had seen nature, since most of the world was well on its way to becoming a lifeless rock. She briefly wondered why it was that Weiss hadn't sent his people to search for them by now.

"We move every two weeks. Sometimes we stay in towns, other times in the ruins of the cities he has destroyed," Barret commented.

Tifa hadn't realized she'd had a thoughtful look on her face as she surveyed their surroundings, but she nodded in understanding. "Never stay in the same places," she said.

Barret nodded. "We don't. That's why it's so difficult for Weiss to find us. But we need ta find out how it was that he knew that we would be in Rocket Town."

"Maybe he has spies sitting in every city, just waiting for you and blondie to show up," Tifa said, taking the cup of coffee he offered, which had been sitting over a fire and boiling.

The large man shrugged. "From now on, we'll have to disguise ourselves or at least wear traveling cloaks."

"You should've taken the precautions months ago. It's a miracle you're both still alive," Tifa said, a note of derision in her voice.

Barret's eye twitched but he kept his comment to himself. "Are you military trained?" he asked after a moment of silence.

Tifa scoffed. "No. I was trained by Master Zangan in martial arts, and by Sensei Ujio in samurai combat. Both were in hiding when we found them. I don't honestly know if they're even alive. My brothers have also taught me how to wield guns."

"Why's a pretty girl like you working in something as vile as this?" Barret asked her quietly.

"Life doesn't always turn out the way we wanted it to," she supplied vaguely.

"Ani't that the truth," Barret replied. He broke out of his own sad thoughts of the wife he had lost, and briefly wondered how much had been taken from Tifa for her to have turned into what she was now. No woman deserved this kind of life. To be a killer for hire, cold and uncaring. She should've been learning to sow, cook, and getting married… he knew his thoughts were a bit sexist, but Barret had grown up that way. All he had known was that it was the man's duty to take care of his wife, love her and respect her, too.

Meanwhile, Tifa let her own thoughts drift as she walked away from Barret to take a look around the camp. The tents and vehicles were camouflaged and they were near a river that looked like a good open space to _bathe_, she thought sarcastically. In a camp full of men, she was the only woman, but hopefully they'd eventually get the idea that she wasn't someone they should even approach. She'd have to wash herself at an hour when no one was around, and that meant using the freezing cold water either at night, or in the morning before they were up.

She was surprised to see that Weiss' destruction hadn't taken over this section of the forest, but it would eventually get here. It was really only a matter of time if things kept the way they were. Thinking on their mission to Nibelheim, Tifa grit her teeth as the memories she had worked so hard to push to the furthest part of her mind came roaring back to her with a vengeance. It felt like she was a different person now, and that she had lived two separate, completely different lives. The Tifa then had been a happy, carefree one. The Tifa she was now was constantly in emotional pain, and the hate that she felt inside her burned like acid. How had things gotten so bad?

_Modeling a pretty, sky blue dress that her mother had made for her a few months prior to her death, Tifa smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was nice and smooth, her hair long and shiny, like a waterfall of black silk. Her eyes were wide and bright and her heart was full of love._

_Taking the steps of her home quickly, she came to a halt when she spotted the picture of her and the man she was so very in love with sitting on the table by the door. She had been fifteen when they had married, not uncommon for young women in Nibelheim, even when her husband had been three years older than her. Now she was sixteen and still blissfully in love and happy._

_She knew that she had to stop walking on clouds because so much was going on around the world and she couldn't be so selfish as to imagine herself happy while people died every day because of the fighting going on. Midgar, which was a metropolis located on another continent entirely, had been at war with an unknown group of terrorist for a long time. A few cities had already fallen, and when last Zack had spoken to ShinRa, he had told her that it seemed like Midgar was losing._

_Her smile finally dropped with the thought that maybe they would call him from his post there in Nibelheim and back to Midgar to fight soon, and the worry began to gnaw at her. As she opened her door and stepped outside into the fresh air, Tifa frowned when she saw black smoke coming from high up Mt. Nibel. Her heart jumped into her throat when she realized that Zack had been up there._

_Before she even realized it, her feet were carrying her towards the path. Her heart felt as if it would jump right out of her chest, and as she rounded a curve of the path, she was taken down hard, the air escaping her in a long whoosh. Strong arms kept her from getting seriously hurt on the rough rock, but she still managed to scrape her knees and elbows. What she saw produced a horrified gasp from her._

"_Zack! What's going on? Why are you bleeding?!" she asked frantically._

_He stood and rushed her back towards the home she had shared with her father and temporarily with Zack; he had promised to buy them their own home as soon as he could. "There's no time," he said, frowning when he realized that his bloodied hands had tainted and colored her skin where he had touched her. "Take your father and run. Run and don't look back. They're beginning to attack this continent as well, and Nibelheim for the reactor. You have to go because… because Sephiroth told me that they sometimes take young women to their leader, and other times they just slaughter them. No matter what happens to me, I want you to run and get to safety."_

"_No! I can't leave you," she said, near hysterical. "You can't possibly try to save everyone!"_

"_I know I can't save everyone, but I can save _you_," he said seriously. He paused in front of her home to kiss her, trying to convey just how much he loved her and was worried for her. "Get your father and go!" he yelled as an explosion went off, far closer than Zack was comfortable._

"_My dad went into the center of town," Tifa said in horror, realizing that that was where the fire was coming from._

"_Take the truck and run," Zack said urgently, pulling her with him towards the old vehicle that belonged to her father._

"_I can't, I can't do this alone!" she cried. "Zack, I need you to protect us!" she exclaimed, placing a hand over her stomach._

_He stared at her in elated yet panicked surprise before he pulled her into a tight hug. Another kiss. "Leave me," he whispered. "I have to fight and I won't be able to do it if I don't know that you're safe!"_

_Tifa shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. "I know that if I leave you here, I'll never see you again."_

_Zack nearly shoved her into the truck, turning the ignition for her. "It's almost a sure thing that your father is dead," he regretted saying it so bluntly, but he wanted her to understand that she needed to go and not look back. He loved her too much to risk her life, and now the life growing inside of her. "I love you," he said, pulling her into another searching kiss just as another explosion and the sounds of bullets reached them. Helicopters were coming too, more than likely bringing more soldiers to take over the town and the mako reactor._

"_Stay down!" he called, closing the door and moving towards the soldiers that were _

_running after some innocent townspeople._

_Tifa watched with her heart in her throat as he cut them down with his massive buster sword; he had been trained for this, to fight and to kill, to _defend_. But he had always treated her like an invaluable treasure, and he had loved her the entire year since they had married._

_More soldiers were running towards him from the mountain pass, spraying him with a rain of bullets, catching him at various parts of his body, but still he fought. Tifa could tell that he was losing blood, because some of the soldiers were landing blows, crowding him, almost bringing him to his knees. "Zack!" she screamed, watching as he stood to his feet and cut through a few more, severing heads and limbs._

_A helicopter circled from above, not too close because of the narrow space, but close enough to launch missiles. Everything went up in a wall of flames, engulfing their own soldiers and… Zack. "No!" her scream seemed to echo all around her._

"Don't touch me."

The hand halted above her shoulder and Tifa turned to look at the man as he pulled back and gave her a sheepish grin. "You looked as if you were in pain," he said kindly.

"Reeve Tuesti," Tifa said quietly.

"Do I know you?" he asked, curiously rubbing his goatee.

She shook her head. "Not on a personal level. I thought you had died when the WRO headquarters was bombed."

He looked away, eyes sad and far too expressive for their own good. "I wish I could've," he said, limping and leaning heavily on a cane as he took a few steps towards a nearby rock. He took a seat and looked up at her. "Barret told me that those new gadgets he got were from you and your brothers. I wanted to thank you."

"They're going to make _my_ job easier," she replied casually. "We'll need a bomb for the reactor and one for the ShinRa mansion, which is certainly being used as a Deepground safe house."

Reeve nodded. "I can do that. I'll get to work now. All I wanted to do was come and introduce myself, hopefully to save you from your own thoughts," he said, rueful.

Tifa watched him as he limped away, back towards his tent she supposed. "Reeve."

He stopped and turned to look at her expectantly. She cleared her throat but didn't offer a smile. "Thank you."

"For introducing myself?" he questioned, a smile curling at his lips.

Tifa shook her head. "For saving me from my memories," she said, somber.

Reeve nodded, his smile making his thin face more handsome. "Any time," he said, winking before he walked away.

"Isn't this your special day? You get your very own tent," Cloud muttered from nearby.

Tifa gave him no reaction and walked over to the tent he motioned to. "Whose did I take?" she asked, noting that there was only a cot with a standard pillow and thick blanket, a collapsible table for two, a steel trunk, and one chair.

"No one you need to worry about. She won't be coming back," he muttered, blue eyes settled on the trees surrounding them.

Tifa didn't question him, understanding that the woman who had resided in the tent was probably dead. She pulled off her katana from her back, still in its holster and placed it on the cot. Various other knives followed, but Cloud noticed that the gun remained in its place. Nero approached her to hand over a black duffel and Tifa took it with a nod and no words. It really was interesting to see that they understood each other without conversation.

"Is there a reason why you're still standing there?" Tifa asked in a bored tone.

"Do you sleep with your weapons?" Cloud asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't you?"

"I keep the sword close, but not in bed. I'd hate to wake up headless one of these days," he said sardonically.

Tifa let a smirk slip passed her and nodded. "The gun goes under my pillow, and as for the other blades, it's a secret," she replied, meeting his eyes with a semi-amused look.

Cloud let out a short laugh and walked away to his own tent. Once inside, he closed the flap for privacy and set down his sword against the wall of the tent nearest the foot of his cot. He slowly stretched his tired muscles and looked at his gloved hands for a moment. Removing his longest glove, he grabbed a roll of gauze from a nearby table and used some clean water from an old plastic basin to wash his hands and the arm. Then he proceed with the arduous task of wrapping his scarred arm carefully.

It no longer hurt physically, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when people stared at it. He had learned from the first few times that his fellow group members had stared at the scarred skin. Since then, he had covered it up and no one had mentioned it, or even looked at his arm wrong. Cloud suspected that it had something to do with Barret telling them off, but he wasn't too sure and he honestly didn't care.

Once he was done, he tucked the end of the gauze safely into the edge over his palm and then threw himself over his cot for a short nap. His nights weren't as pleasant as he'd liked, and they hadn't been for years. That was why he took sleep when he could. Placing his hand behind his head and laying back on it, Cloud let out a deep breath, wondering what life had in store for him. He wanted to live long enough to see Weiss fall. It was coming, he knew, and hopefully he would be present when the tyrant was disposed of. He didn't think the planet would survive much more exploitation, so it had to be done as soon as possible.

His thoughts drifted towards his own losses. He had been much too young to remember his parents, and all the memories he had were of a few years in an orphanage before he had run away. From the moment he was cognizant of his surroundings, there had been some type of war going on. He realized though, that Deepground had seriously underestimated AVALANCHE and their perseverance as well as their desire to save the planet. They had been the one enemy that Weiss and his followers had _not_ been able to defeat so far. Even when they'd lost invaluable allies, they weren't ready to give up. Cloud also got the feeling that maybe Tifa and her brothers would be necessary in turning the odds against Deepground.

He had to admit that Tifa intrigued him, and that there was something buried deep inside her that drove her to do what she did. They had managed to get them on their side, and even when AVALANCHE would pay for their services, Cloud knew that their choice to fight was being driven by some type of revenge. He had seen it in Tifa's eyes before the usual aloofness or anger took over. Mystery seemed to swirl all around her and Cloud found that he wanted to know more about her, even at the risk of being skinned alive or dismembered. He didn't know when to leave well enough alone, but that was usually what helped keep him sane in the time they were living.

It was his last thought before he drifted into a light sleep, a smirk on his lips.

……

Thanks to many of Reeve's improvements on _The Shera_, they were able to land on the outskirts of Nibelheim undetected. For nearly a week they had planned their attack and had given Reeve time to construct his weapons. Barret and Nero would inspect the reactor, and then they would set one of the charges there. Meanwhile, Vincent would cover them from a high altitude with his rifle, and once the soldiers had been cleared, Cloud, Vincent, and Tifa would check the Mansion that had once belonged to ShinRa. Other members of Avalanche would also remain in strategic places in order to communicate with them in case something out of the ordinary happened.

Darting through the shadows of massive trees, they all moved with unnatural silence, though Barret's footsteps were a bit heavier than the rest. At the entrance of the town, Vincent gave Tifa and Nero a nod before he separated and ran off to find his high perch.

Tifa grit her teeth and tried to push away the memories that wanted so badly to return once more. She had tried to ignore them the past months, while they had done jobs, but they couldn't be denied anymore, especially when they were at ground zero. Her eyes flashed in rage when she noticed the remnants of what had once been her home. There were less than a handful of houses standing, and everything else was in decaying rubble, destroyed remnants of a past life that no one had bothered to clean up.

Her teeth grit in anger when Cloud's hand came around her bicep and pulled her unceremoniously behind a single wall that had once been part of a home. His eyes were like cobalt flames in the darkness of the night, but he placed a single digit over his lips to signal silence. The sound of footsteps passed them by on the other side of the wall, and Tifa reached into the hidden pockets of her pants and silently produced two wicked looking knives.

She gave Cloud a nod and both rounded the wall, moving after the two soldiers a few steps away. Cloud grabbed the right and Tifa went for the left. With a twist, the neck of the soldier on the left was snapped, his body quietly lowered and pushed into nearby bushes. At the sound of rustling leaves, the other turned, raising his gun. But it was too late, a weak gurgle was all that was heard as Tifa brought one of her blades to his throat and cut deep and effective. Unnatural, nearly black blood began to ooze out, and the body fell with a heavy thump to the ground, the liquid leaving the body and spreading out in a macabre puddle.

Cloud watched her as she stepped away from the blood and began to move without a backwards glance. He could feel a shudder threatening, but now was not the time to get squeamish; after all, his method had been the same, merely a cleaner and less vicious one. They dispatched the next twenty soldiers themselves, and those that they couldn't, received a highly accurate, silent bullet to the middle of their foreheads from Vincent.

Tifa motioned for Cloud to kneel against another pile of rubble, in the darkness as they closed in on the former ShinRa mansion. "Lights are off, and there's no knowing how many are inside," she whispered.

Cloud nodded. "Should we ignore the search and take out the house?"

Maroon eyes narrowed in thought, trying to figure out if it was worth it. A light tap alerted them to Vincent landing and crouching at their sides. "There may be invaluable information in there. We can dispatch what comes along," said the gunman in an ever softer tone.

"Spread out," Cloud said, adjusting his grip on his sword. Tifa and Vincent took off separately, but towards the same direction. As Cloud stood, something crunched under the sole of his boot, and he bent to quickly retrieve the object. A broken, burned frame with a picture inside greeted him. His eyes widened at his discovery, and without thought he pulled the picture from the frame before stuffing it into his closest pocket. He took off at a quick run and followed his companions into the mansion.

All was quiet on the inside of the deserted, half-demolished mansion. It held nothing of the splendor that Tifa had heard about years ago, and it seemed like no one who had occupied it had cared to keep it clean or in a good living condition. Cloud motioned for Vincent to check the top floor before he sent Tifa right on the first floor and he went left. Slowly withdrawing her katana, Tifa slid close to the wall of the hallway, straining her ears for any sound.

She came across another hallway as she rounded the corner, and an open door at the end of it. Hoping that none of the wood flooring she stepped on creaked, she reached for the gun at the small of her back as she slowly snuck a look inside the room. There were two DG soldiers guarding a stone door that piqued Tifa's interest. Lifting the gun—a smaller though similar version of Nero's guns—Tifa made sure to have her katana ready in her other hand before the gunshot went off and hit one soldier pointblank in the head.

The other jumped towards her with unnatural speed and Tifa ducked as the butt of the gun swung towards her head. It crashed right through the wall and she used her momentum to slash across the back, and as he arched in pain, to cut across his gut. Blood spilled and splattered over the dirty wall as he fell forward, twitching. Almost as an afterthought, she put a bullet in his head in case he decided to not die. Two more soldiers stepped through the adjacent door she hadn't spotted, but they quickly went the same way the others had.

Shrugging to herself, Tifa approached the door they had been guarding and waited for a few seconds before she began to search for a lever or button to open it. Hearing a noise outside in the hallway she had come from, the hand with the gun rose and pointed just in case an enemy was coming. Instead, she saw a flash of steel as Cloud used the blade of his sword to look into the room. Not the smartest move, Tifa thought in annoyance. "It's clear," she said in a low tone.

Cloud looked inside and took notice of the four dead soldiers before he entered, followed by Vincent. "Any problems?" he asked.

She shook her head and pointed towards the slab of stone that made for a door. "I think it may lead underground. Think we should check it out?"

Vincent looked at a cheap digital watch Barret had procured for them. "We have less than fifteen minutes to plant the bomb and leave. We don't know how long it can take for Weiss to send reinforcements."

"I want to see what these sick fucks have been up to," she said, finally finding a loose stone that worked as a lever. The door opened and the trio stood back, weapons raised just in case. The only thing that they encountered was a curving staircase that led down and a cold gust of air.

"I'll go first," said Cloud, beginning his descent. Tifa followed and Vincent took rear guard as they slowly walked down the stairs. The only noises heard were echoes of the air, making it sound likely eerie wails in the distance. The first attack didn't come from DG soldiers, but instead from green creatures with dangerously sharp claws and fangs.

Cloud took care of them with various wide maneuvers and expert jabs of his large sword. Tifa just stood back and crossed her arms over her chest in boredom. The man really was a showoff, she thought inwardly, but she also had to admit that he had pretty good form.

"I shudder to wonder what is going through your head when you smirk like that," Vincent's calm voice interrupted her thoughts, making her scowl. "Ah, there's a more familiar look to you."

"Stop being a smartass," she snapped, beginning to move down a long tunnel made of solid earth and stone.

More creatures came along at random moments, and Tifa got her chance to chop a few into pieces herself until they finally came upon a wooden door. Tifa and Vincent stood side by side as Cloud moved to open the door. Guns raised in case anything attacked, they both moved in when they saw that no creature or soldier was on the other side. Instead, they had entered what looked like some old and abandoned lunch area.

Vincent motioned for Tifa to keep her comments to herself and she nodded as they moved through the next door. The soldiers were there, hiding behind crates and wooden boxes, but Vincent proved to be much better than the reputation he had floating around. He handled his triple-barreled Cerberus as if it were an extension of his body, and with an ease that spoke of years of experience.

It was Cloud's turn to watch their rear, and Tifa led, showing off her own markswoman skills; her brothers had taught her well. They finally came into a large room, filled with books. There were several doors there, and they began to check one by one. The first few were filled with junk, another was a paper strewn office, and they finally came to the last. Cloud held up a hand to stop them before they could open the door. He motioned to his ear, signifying that there was someone inside.

Vincent moved closer and nodded, able to detect plinking noises and half-rants from the man inside. He looked at Tifa and nodded towards the door. She nodded once and stepped closer, withdrawing one of her smaller blades from a thigh holster—Cloud truly wondered how many more she had, and _where_. He then watched curiously as she slid the blade down the space between door and doorway, noiseless and like a knife cutting through butter.

She then kneeled and opened the door slowly, knowing that at some point it would creek. She peered inside and inspected quickly, gun pointing to every corner. It took her a moment to figure out that the door _had_ creaked, but the man inside of the room was too busy to notice. He was talking in half-completed sentences, working on a body laid over a steel table. There were splashes of crimson all over the floor, over the gloves he wore, and even some on his shoes.

Tifa made a face and slowly stood, stepping fully into the room and beginning to close in on the man. She felt the ghost of fingers on her elbow, but she snatched her arm away and kept walking, gun raised. She knew the man's hunched form; the greasy black hair, tied back into a ponytail. The spectacles over a hooked nose; the sneer. The half-sane mutterings. "Hojo," she spat.

The man slowly turned to look at her, angered because his disgusting experiment obsessed thoughts had been interrupted. Then he gave her a leering smile. "Hmm, interesting…" he said, eyeing her from head to toe.

Tifa nearly shuddered in revulsion but stood her ground, expressionless. "Step away from your victim."

"Yes, yes, you came to save her, didn't you?" he asked eagerly.

"Save who?" Tifa sneered, beginning to back the man up towards the wall. He crashed into his tray of bloody utensils and tumbled to the floor, slipping on the blood. His fall made Tifa's attention move towards the person on the table and she nearly doubled over to empty her stomach contents, but she forced herself to remain where she was, staring in horror.

Vincent moved to her side and Cloud moved past them, pointing the sharp tip of his sword at the mad scientist. He then noticed the poor creature laying unconscious on the table as well. A breath shuddered out of him and he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Hojo, but the greasy man was looking at Tifa fixedly. "Get up," Cloud spat, nudging the man's neck, drawing blood from the skin he broke.

"Tifa?" Vincent questioned, avoiding touching her. The look on her face made his stomach turn. It was the same look she'd had when he had found her, half-dead in the outskirts of Wutai. He had worried about her physical injuries then, but those had been the least painful. She'd been mentally and emotionally wounded to the point where he had feared that she would just will herself to die. But she hadn't… she had risen like a phoenix from the ashes, and she had begun a new life, one filled with blood and brutality. He and Nero had gone with her to protect her from herself when she had begun her campaign of killing off as many of Weiss' men she could.

The look in her eyes scared him now, and what surprised him even more was to see her maroon gaze fill with tears. She took a few shaky steps forward and stared down at the slack face. "Yuffie," Tifa whispered. She grit her teeth and pulled off a glove to feel for a pulse at the young woman's neck. She nearly sagged in relief, avoiding looking at the blood and pieces of skin that had been peeled back to insert needles. "What have you been doing to her?" she hissed, turning to look at Hojo.

"She's been a most cooperative specimen," he said, matter-of-fact. "I was just injecting enhancers into her. Her skin will be harder to break, faster to heal, and the mako in her veins will give her speed and strength. You should thank me. After all, she is your charge, isn't she? I've only made her better."

"Weiss made me think that she was dead! Why? Why would he do something like that?!" Tifa exploded. Hojo began to cackle in glee at her reaction, but the humor died in his eyes when her gun began to rise.

"To break you, of course." The gunshot echoed in the small room, as did the pain filled screech of the man as his knee exploded in a mess of blood and bone as he fell. It didn't completely come off, but in the state it was, if the man survived, the leg would have to be amputated. "Whore," Hojo spat, cowering back when Cloud's sword pressed deeper into his neck, making him swallow convulsively. "Weiss the Immaculate wants his favorite bed warmer back. If you go to him now, he _may _spare the lives of your kin."

Cloud stared at Tifa upon hearing the man's words and he saw the color drain from her face, even in her rage. He knew it was no time for questions, and even once they were away, Tifa would not divulge her past to a stranger, but it was obvious that so much more was happening; they would all need answers and soon. Especially after the photo he had discovered earlier.

"You can tell Weiss that I'd rather impale myself on my own sword than return," Tifa said, composed.

"And I will be… alive for this?" asked Hojo dubiously.

"Barely," Tifa said, motioning for Cloud to step back. "Vincent, take Yuffie please," she said, voice quiet. She turned back to the evil behind Weiss' army, behind all the inhuman experiments, and Weiss' terrifying strength. "You and Weiss made me what I am," she whispered. "Now you will pay in the most painful way possible."

Cloud watched it all serenely, and didn't dare to interfere, or even make a noise. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vincent carefully extract long, painful looking needles from various points in the girl's body, each one hooked up to different colored vials of mako. Then the gunman reached for his red cloak before wrapping it around the small body, covering her carefully and careful to not jostle her wounds. He just hoped that she didn't wake before they received help, or she would truly feel the physical pain Hojo had subjected her to.

Tifa moved towards Hojo and fired her gun off three times. One bullet for each hand, shattering more than one finger, and the third for a place that made Hojo howl in agony and forced Cloud and Vincent to look away. Next came her katana, and never before had Cloud seen someone so cold when cutting into another human being.

She kneeled next to the whimpering man and gently made her sword glide over his cheek, leaving behind a trail of ooze and old blood from her previous opponents. "On second thought, I don't think I should give you a chance to survive. You're the one responsible for creating Weiss' army, and you've experimented on him, on Azul and Rosso. This was the last straw. You're not god, Hojo, you're merely a pitiful man who doesn't know what in the hell he's doing. I'll put you out of your misery."

Hojo let out a whimpering, wailing laugh and hunched over his injuries. "You're so much more beautiful now than when Weiss took you in. The perfect killing machine. Angelic face, but a black, rotting heart, capable of doing _anything_. We share the last two in common," he laughed hysterically.

Tifa stared at him coolly before she stood and turned to Cloud and Vincent. "Step out," she said, voice low.

Vincent turned, Yuffie held gently in his arms, and left without a word. Cloud lingered, noticing the vacant look in her eyes. "Tifa, killing him won't change anything. We may be able to use him for information."

She shook her head, sending her braid over one shoulder. "Take his notes, any loose papers or journals you can find here," she said, holstering her gun.

Cloud wanted to argue, but there was no time. The reactor should've blown by now, and they had to get out and blow the mansion before other soldiers arrived. He quickly gathered all the things he could find, stashing them into the duffel holding their bomb, which Vincent had handed over before tending to Yuffie. He walked towards the door and turned to look at Tifa, but she was no longer looking at him, or anything but the man bleeding on the floor. Letting out a sigh, he stepped out and looked towards Vincent to see if his expression betrayed anything.

"She was a captive of Weiss for three years," said Vincent. "Hojo was the one who treated her every time Weiss was done with her."

Cloud stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. Both men stood stock-still and waited. A long ragged scream filled the room they had left, followed by another, and another, and then it gurgled into silence. Seconds later, Tifa stepped out, her one ungloved hand stained red, and her katana dripping the same crimson liquid. Her eyes were like two cold rubies, dispassionate and cruel, and in that moment, a part of Cloud mourned for her and all that she must've gone through.

Tifa hadn't been responsible for what she had turned into, no, that _honor_ went to Weiss, but he wondered if she was too far gone to ever again feel even a sliver of love or happiness. They were all damaged and broken, and missing a chunk of their souls, but Tifa was probably the one who had suffered the most out of all of them. He didn't know much about Vincent or Nero, and Tifa seemed to have come out of a traumatic situation physically unscathed, but emotionally and mentally…

"I've set the room on fire in case the bomb doesn't reach down here; we should blow the house now," she said, leading the way, leaving a trail of red as she went. Vincent adjusted Yuffie carefully and also realized that her blood was beginning to soak his cloak. If they didn't get help for her immediately, she would bleed out quickly.

They took the steps rapidly, Tifa forgoing her katana for her gun as a faster means to get them out. Cloud set the bomb off right at the opening that led underground, and set the timer on the watch Vincent handed over. Activating the bomb, they all raced towards the front door and out into the front yard of the ShinRa mansion. Any stragglers left were cut down quickly, and they kept running towards the outskirts of the town, where Barret and Nero were waiting, and _The Shera_ was circling the sky.

In the distance, they could see that the reactor was going up in flames and smoke, mako and lifestream exploding into the sky. Nero noticed Tifa's appearance and wisely kept quiet as usual. Next, he looked curiously at his eldest sibling and eyed the small bundle in his arms. Nero's nose twitched at the blood scent hitting his nose and wondered what it was that they had uncovered.

"Will that bomb take out the entire town?" Tifa asked Barret.

"Yeah. It'll burn everything down and then some. At least there ain't any people around to get hurt," he replied gruffly, not missing the blood stains on her person.

"We should have this conversation somewhere safe," Nero drawled, motioning towards the airship above them. Everyone agreed and took off down the path leading away from Nibelheim, towards a wide, flat plane where the ship could land.

As they raced up the back ramp of the ship, the explosion went off, taking with it memories of the horrific doctor, a destroyed town, and a broken past. Tifa watched the flames as they reached the sky, until her view was blocked by the closing ramp. She then turned and jogged after Vincent as he raced up towards the sleeping quarters to have someone tend Yuffie.

…

The gentle hum of the airship was doing nothing for her agitated nerves, and Tifa couldn't continue to pace in front of the room that was currently housing Yuffie and the medical experts in AVALANCHE, who had once been medics for Reeve and the WRO. The blood had nearly dried on her skin, and the rank odor was making her nauseous. Feeling suddenly unclean, a feeling she had felt all too much during her captivity, all she wanted was a shower to wash herself of it.

She stormed down towards the room she had used the last time she had been on the ship, but when she entered, she found that the room was already occupied. She bit back an angry curse and closed the door after entering, beginning to pull off her weapons and letting them fall onto the small table in the room.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, removing her beloved black cloak, dropping it into the shower inside the tiny bathroom to wash it in a few minutes. At least she'd planned ahead and had brought extra clothing with her, she thought, temporarily ignoring Cloud. Her gloves and boots followed, as she considered if it would be worth trying to salvage both. Her hair then came out of the braid, with rough jerks of her pale white and carmine hands, and she avoided looking at herself in the mirror above the sink. "Are you going to sit there like a bump on a log or are you going to tell me what you want?" Tifa asked, inflection cold.

When she walked out of the bathroom to look at him, he had gotten to his feet and he was staring down at a slip of something in his gloved hand. "I just want to ask you one question," he said, handing her the photograph.

Tifa stared down at it and felt the blood drain from her face, arms, and finally her trembling fingers.

"How did you know Zack Fair?" Cloud asked.

The name pierced her heart like a bullet, and for a moment all she could do was stare at their smiling faces on the picture. So much lost, and so much regret. She gazed at Cloud with hate and hurt filling her usually guarded eyes. She shoved the picture into his chest, making him stumble back a step with the force.

"That's none of your fucking business. Now if you don't have anything more productive to say, get out," she spat, storming into the bathroom, and slamming and locking the door.

Cloud stared down at the image of a much younger Tifa, with bright, happy, innocent eyes, and a true _smile_ on her face. She was in the arms of the tall, dashing Zack Fair, who was holding her with so much care and love that it had transferred right onto the film. They looked happy, and though Cloud knew only a fraction of what had happened to destroy that look on Tifa's face, he felt an almost obsessive need to find out more of what had influenced the person she was now.

And damn it if he had always been too stubborn for his own good. Maybe he would die a sooner death and not because of the war they were waging against Weiss, but at the hand of Tifa Lockhart, and he suspected she had once been Tifa Fair as well.

…

…

…

…

…

I know it was bloody and violent, and still vague, but I actually really liked this chapter. Next chapter will featured _the_ fight I told Valk about, so that should be interesting. Also, I want to warn you guys that there will be mentions of strong themes, so please also take that into consideration if you decide to continue reading this story. This is by far the most violent and darkest fic I've ever written, but it's really a welcome change. It gives me new challenges. Also, you know that I couldn't resist adding my second fav pairing in there, which of course would be ZackTifa. An explanation of what happened to Yuffie will also be included next chapter, and we'll begin to see a change in Cloud _and _Tifa, so look forward to that.

Special thanks to: EvilBlackRose, anon, Averia, Valk, cloudlover2989, Toriga-Okami, Fabi-chan, vLuna, MsRainey, and CB Shipper. You guys were so awesome with your comments, and you just about made my day. Thank you for reading!

I should go for now, but hopefully I'll be able to update another two fics before the year is over. Take care everyone and be safe!


	3. Chapter 3

Valk, I'm a total liar. I know I said no VinceYuffie bits, but I couldn't help it! It's nothing huge, just a hazy sort of attraction that I may mention in passing, but nothing more. I promise it won't take away from the CloudTifa stuff.

I also want to give a great big hug and thanks to _S. Zix_(spaced because ffnet is dumb sometimes) for helping me out with suggestions and looking at this chapter for me. I seriously appreciated all your helpful input and your opinion. Thank you!

Now, this chapter was inspired by: _For the Heart I Once Had_ by Nightwish, and _My Way _by Limp Bizkit. I think each chapter will have songs that influence them, and at the end of the fic you can all view it like some kind of play list. I'll stop the A/N now. Enjoy!

_Warnings: implied rape, blood, and Cloud/Tifa violence. Please read carefully if any of these bother you._

………………………………

**Coming Undone**

………………………………

Yuffie's face seemed to be so peaceful as she slept in Tifa's tent, most of her wounds healed, but terribly scarred. Her skin was far too pale than was healthy, but it was because of all the blood she had lost at the hand of Hojo. Tifa felt her breathing hitch when she wondered how long she had been in Hojo's hands, and that Weiss had allowed her to be… to be tortured. "I would've broken you out if I had known that you were alive," Tifa whispered, incapable of even bringing her own hand to wrap around her old friend's in comfort.

She had thought that her heart had turned to lead in her chest, or maybe to stone, but with seeing the remains of Nibelheim, then finding Yuffie, and finally seeing that image in Cloud's hands, she had realized that her heart was still beating, albeit at a snail's pace, and with a raw wound right through the middle, but it was still there. It would take a grand miracle to heal that crack.

Tifa's eyes snapped up in surprise when she noticed that Yuffie's eyes were open a sliver. "Yuffs…"

A smile curled at the young Wutain's face. "Are we dead?" she asked slowly.

"No," Tifa said, feeling the burn of tears that she hadn't been able to shed in years. But they didn't drop, just remained in her eyes until she could regain her composure. "You need to rest. I'll watch over you," she whispered. Yuffie just gave a half nod before her eyes slipped closed once more. Placing an extra blanket over Yuffie's healing body; Tifa stepped out of the tent for a moment, just to get some much needed fresh air.

Cloud was sitting outside of his own tent, peeling an apple with a small carving knife. He looked up at her but said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes in thought before bringing a slice of fruit to his lips. Tifa turned when she felt the displacement of air at her side. "Has she woken?" asked Vincent lightly.

Tifa nodded. "For a few seconds. I told her to sleep more," she replied.

Vincent gazed through the crack of her tent and looked at the sleeping girl for a few seconds. He turned to Tifa and forced his hand to stay at his side and not venture to either run through her hair or squeeze her shoulder, the way he would've done before the death of Zack and all of the other events that followed.

"When will you be returning for—"

"I won't," Tifa interrupted. "He's better off where he is. He's safe, and that's all that matters."

Vincent said nothing and turned to walk away. Tifa just shook her head and stepped back into the tent to keep watching over Yuffie. She couldn't allow any other thoughts to distract her from her purpose now.

………

Cloud shifted into a more comfortable position, laying back against a tree in the shade, and attempting to make his brain wrap around the difference between the mercenary and the pretty girl in the picture he had discovered. He pulled the photograph out of his pocket and found that another had gotten attached on the back of it. He flipped the second picture around and found mischievous green eyes staring back at him. He felt a smile tug at his lips, but with it came the deep grief he had felt since he had lost her.

She had been the first girl he had ever fallen in love with, or at least he _thought _it was love. He'd been too damn young to know any better. But they had met, during the break between the wars, right before Deepground had risen. She had been in the slums of Midgar, selling flowers and offering free, honest smiles. He had been smitten right from the beginning, and it seemed that every single day, he found an excuse to buy a flower from her. Suffice to say that he had been short _a lot_ of gil, just to have her brighten his day.

He had gone in to train to become part of the ShinRa army, leaving behind AVALANCHE, against Barret's will, but he had wanted to learn how to fight better, and not be the same scrawny kid. Once in ShinRa, he had met Zack, the man in the picture with Tifa. Zack had taken an instant liking to him, and had begun to teach him a very difficult form of sword fighting, one that used massive swords. But before he could finish Cloud's training, Zack had been relocated to Nibelheim, where Cloud assumed he had met Tifa.

During the sparse letters that Zack was able to send, he wrote of a pretty girl he had gotten to know, but who was much too young for him to even approach her. It had been around that time that the WRO had been created as an association that would begin to rebuild what ShinRa had damaged, and what they had fought and won against. The reactors would slowly begin to be dismantled in favor of using natural resources. But before even half of the reactors could be shut down, Deepground had risen, and they had attacked Midgar, attempting to wrestle control from ShinRa. The company had sent in their finest, including the revered General Sephiroth, and his seconds, Commander Hewley, and Commander Rhapsodos.

The men had been at the front of the war for years, but they had not stood a chance against Weiss, Rosso, and Azul. Deepground had been born from an obscure branch of ShinRa, and it was terribly ironic that their own weapons had destroyed the company. No one knew what had become of the General and his two Commanders to this day. For all Cloud knew, they could've been dead for many years now.

As he stared down at the girl in the picture again, he felt his heart beat painfully in his chest. He had always wondered what would've happened if he'd had the guts to tell her how he felt. When Cloud had discovered that Deepground had been part of ShinRa, it had been the end of his wish of becoming a SOLDIER, and he had returned to AVALANCHE, taking Aerith with him.

She had been so out of place among them all, but she had made fast friends with Jessie, another female friend they had lost in their battles. The tent Tifa was using now, the one where Yuffie was resting, had been Aerith's, though Cloud had removed all of her belongings and had put them away somewhere safe.

The pictures in his hands were snatched away in his daze, and Cloud surged to his feet, nearly growling out a threat. That picture was the only one he had of Aerith! His eyes narrowed when he saw that Tifa was the one who had shattered through his thoughts and was threatening something he held dear. "Give it back," he said in a low tone.

Tifa merely glanced at the girl on the picture and shoved the picture back at him, keeping the other. "You invade my privacy, and I'll return the favor," she said dryly.

Cloud straightened the picture—Tifa had managed to fold the edges with her rough actions—before tucking it back carefully into his pocket. "All I wanted to know was how you knew Zack. He was the closest friend I ever had," he muttered.

Tifa stuffed the picture into her own pocket without looking at it, but her eyes had that distant shine in them. Inside, that cold piece of herself—also known as her heart—had begun to beat painfully at the fact that there was another person who had cared for the man she had loved, but it wasn't an easy thing to just begin to spill out the memories she had locked and guarded zealously inside her. "He was someone I cherished, and that's all you need to know."

"Do you hate him now?" Cloud asked her, quiet.

Tifa's eyes darkened to blood-red in seconds. _"What."_

"I figure that if you had loved him the way I imagined a girl would love someone _like Zack_, then the only reason you refuse to talk about him is because you don't care."

"What about your green-eyed girl? You want to talk, so that _she_ won't be forgotten?" Tifa wasn't trying to mock him, or his obvious pain, but he was being hypocritical when _he_ probably was not willing to talk about his own past. Still, her tone held a hint of irony.

Cloud narrowed his eyes at her. "Why should I share anything with someone who obviously would rather burry their feelings in blood, weapons, and gil?"

"Don't presume to think you know everything about me because of one photograph," Tifa said, taking a step closer to him.

"I know you spent time in captivity, and what Hojo said about you…"

Tifa grit her teeth and swallowed back her hateful words. She didn't _want _to share that time with anyone; her past was something that made her sick to her stomach. "If you'd been raped for three years straight by a madman, would you honestly want to talk about it?" she asked him in a rough whisper. Cloud's eyes widened and he took a step forward to say something to her, probably an apology, but she held a hand up. "I don't need your pathetic apologies. Stay the hell away from me, mind your own business, and we'll be fine," she said before walking away.

Cloud nearly pulled his own hair out as he watched her march away. Damn it if he was going to leave alone the one person who could remember Zack the way he could!

…

A few days later, Yuffie finally managed to remain awake for most of the day and eat some weak soup that Barret had cooked. She still looked pale and sore, but she was awake and alive. Her safety was all that mattered to Tifa. "I thought you were dead, too," the former ninja told her.

"I wish I had been," Tifa said, morose. "But I managed to find my brothers. I… Yuffie, if I had only known…"

Yuffie shook her head before taking a sip from the water Tifa had gotten for her. "You wouldn't have been able to walk into Deepground to save me on your own. I know you're a crazy mercenary fighter and all now, but Weiss has thousands at his disposal. He'd have slaughtered you, or worse, he would've taken you right back as his prisoner."

"What did Hojo do to you?" Tifa asked in a low voice.

Yuffie's eyes glazed over, and only Tifa's fingers squeezing hers painfully brought her back to the present. It had been the only way she had known to defend her mind from the torture, by leaving her body. "Experiments. He never touched me any other way, so I guess I can thank Leviathan for that. The disgusting frog never showed any interest in me aside from enjoying inserting needles and scalpels into my body. I have… brief memories of floating in green, of feeling like my skin was melting off of my bones, and so much cutting… inserting."

Tifa had seen and done _a lot_ of things, she had gone _through _a lot of things, but Yuffie's words made a cold shiver run down her spine. How long had her friend suffered through torture at the hands of a madman? Despite her own trauma, knowing that Yuffie had gone through something similar, it made another part of Tifa's heart whittle away. "I tore him to pieces until there was nothing left," Tifa whispered, detached.

Yuffie's eyes settled on her, her brown depths reflecting pain and sadness for her friend. "If you hadn't, I would've."

It didn't make Tifa feel any better, or any worst either. All she had been able to think of had been making the slimy man pay for every single scar Tifa had seen on Yuffie's body. She could still hear the slicing of her katana, his screams, the rivers of red that had trailed from each wound. She'd seen when his body had stopped pumping blood, and she'd relished at the sight of his pain. What kind of a monster was she? "He said that you'd be faster, and harder to hurt," Tifa said, attempting to distract herself from her thoughts.

Yuffie sneered, an expression that looked foreign on her one time cheerful face. "I can feel the mako in my blood. It used to burn, but now it's like a current running through me with a dull buzz. As soon as I can get on my feet, we'll test those theories," she whispered, rubbing her head tiredly.

"I'll go get you something to eat," Tifa said, walking out of the tent. The truth was, she needed to get away before her anger consumed her. The last thing she needed was for Yuffie to see how affected over her situation Tifa was. She didn't want _Yuffie_ to be afraid of her because aside from her brothers, the ninja was the closest family she had. She was the one person who knew _everything _Tifa had gone through those three years.

Tifa let out a long, slow breath and walked off in the direction of Cid's airship where all the food was stored in case they needed to escape quickly. In a few days, once Yuffie was recuperated enough, they would relocate to another hiding place, closer to another town with a reactor. They'd already taken too long because Cid and Barret hadn't wanted to move Yuffie until she was healed, but they had to go before their location was compromised.

When she stepped into the kitchen on board the ship, she saw that Barret was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and staring at his hands. "You alright?" Tifa asked before she could stop herself.

Barret gave her a curious look but then nodded once. "Thinkin' about the past."

"Yours?"

"Everyone's." Dark eyes stared up at her and Tifa grit her teeth.

"Blondie told you?" she asked, pulling out a fruit and rations that had the WRO logo on them.

"A SOLDIER?" Barret asked her gently, or as gentle as a man over six feet and three times her size could be. Tifa nodded. "How old were you in the picture?"

"Fifteen," Tifa replied, nearly cursing when she realized that the water wasn't running, probably to preserve it for when they took off. "We got married then, and he died a year later. He gave me the chance to escape, and I…"

Barret nodded, feelings on SOLDIERs in general, warring inside of him. "He must've loved ya deeply. He gave his life for you."

Tifa nodded. "Maybe if he'd loved me less, he'd be alive."

"That's bullshit and you know it, girl. When a man loves that deeply, it shouldn't be thrown back in his face. If you had the chance to see him again, would you tell him what you just said to me? Would you have had the guts to ask him to love you less?" Barret asked darkly.

She thought about it for a moment and knew that she would never have done anything to hurt Zack purposely. The time they had spent together had been the happiest of her life, and then knowing about the baby… she had found out she was pregnant the same day Zack died for her: for them. No. She wouldn't regret anything that had to do with her beloved SOLDIER. Even when her life and her conscience had spiraled away from her, out of her control, memories of Zack had been the only anchor to keep her sane through it all.

Barret pursed his lips, giving her a solemn look. "I was married too. I miss her," he said, after giving her the pause she had needed and not prying.

Tifa felt that familiar ache return. "I miss him," she admitted out loud for the first time in years. She paused momentarily before asking her next question. "What's Strife's story? I saw the picture of the girl with the green eyes." Barret didn't look inclined to tell her, but Tifa would have none of it. "He's going around, ventilating my business. The least you could do is let me know a bit about him in return."

The big man gulped down his coffee. "He brought her from Midgar, and she was learning how to fight, though she was a delicate thing. On one of our biggest offensive moves against Weiss, she convinced Cloud to let her come with us as a healer. She was the damn best I had ever seen, but she wasn't a fighter. In time I guess she could've been, but…"

"She was killed," Tifa finished for him, nodding. It was the same story for all of them. It was the one thing they all shared in common. Cid, Barret, Vincent, Reeve, and herself. Now Cloud was added to the list. The only person who hadn't lost someone in death was probably Nero, or at least Tifa assumed so.

"She took a sword to the middle; it had been meant for Cloud, and he didn't see it coming until it was too late. She saw it, and she got in the way purposely. She died in Cloud's arms," said Barret in a low voice.

Tifa sighed. "He loved her?"

"I think so," Barret said simply.

"Who killed her?"

Barret's hardened face tightened in suppressed anger. "Rosso the Crimson. Cloud's never forgiven himself since then."

"We'll meet her sooner or later," Tifa supplied. "She owes me quite a bit, too."

"For what?"

"Scars I carry with me," Tifa said, gathering the things she had procured. "I should go," she said moving towards the door, but she paused and looked back at him. "I'm sorry that you lost your wife."

He managed an honest smile. "I'm sorry you lost so much more."

Tifa nodded once before stepping out of the room and out of the ship. Her slow steps took her back to camp, where she spotted Yuffie trying out her legs with the help of Vincent, her arm around his. It was such a strange sight that the apple fell from Tifa's grip and rolled through the dirt. With an irritated sigh, she picked it up and attempted to dust it with her gloved fingers, but she couldn't possibly feed it to her friend the way it was.

She skirted her friend and her sibling as she cracked a joke and Vincent gave her a bemused smile, and she made for the river. As Tifa kneeled to wash the fruit, her head twitched at the sound of boots crunching on the earth behind her. His golden hair moved into her peripheral vision, but she paid him no mind. She really didn't feel like arguing.

Punching him was a general feeling she felt whenever she saw him, but today was not the day to get on her bad side. The stress of seeing Yuffie tortured and wounded, having memories of Zack dredged up, and talking about Rosso had built up and put her on edge. She couldn't be held accountable for her actions if Cloud prodded at her wounds again. "Hovering," she said simply.

Cloud cleared his throat. "We got off to a _very_ bad start. I don't _want _to keep picking at you. I only wanted to know what it was that made you tick, and I didn't mean to touch that part where Zack is in your heart," he said, tone low and urgent.

Tifa stood, the red fruit dripping with moisture in her hands and turned to look at Cloud. "I can't talk about my past _and_ focus on our mission." She began to walk away, signifying that it was the end of the discussion for now.

"Maybe it'll help free some of that rage you're bottling up inside. No wonder murdering people doesn't make you flinch," he muttered in annoyance.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She whirled on him, eyes on fire. "See if I flinch when I do this," she spat, swinging her gloved fist at him and catching him right in the jaw.

Cloud's face snapped to the side, and he took a few steps before he regained his balance, wincing at the pain that had exploded on his face. He turned to stare at Tifa incredulously and watched the smug smirk widen on her face. "What the fuck was that for?" he growled.

"I told you that now was not the time. You were asking for it," Tifa said, cold.

He'd always been of the firm belief that it wasn't right to hit women, no matter how irritating and evil they could be, but then Rosso had stabbed her way into his life, and his stance on that had changed. Had Tifa not believed him when he had told her that he would hit her right back? She had begun to turn away, thinking herself the victor, but Cloud had other ideas. He'd never been big on hand-to-hand combat, but he'd learned, and he was good.

He went low, swinging out a leg to trip her, but she heard the displacement of air and flipped backwards, avoiding his kick and dropping the things in her hand a distance away. Then her own leg was swinging high in a roundhouse kick, in the same place where she had caught him before. Cloud growled and spat the bitter liquid that had slid into his mouth from his split lip. His next jab hit her right at the shoulder, and he was satisfied to see her wince, defending her upper chest and face.

Cloud didn't give her a chance to retaliate and he his next leg sweep toppled her to the floor. Tifa's breath was knocked right out of her, but just as his fist sailed towards her face, she rolled, scissoring her legs to get back to her feet and punch his other cheek, gritting her teeth when her knuckles crunched with the force. Cloud returned it, and even as she stumbled back, she was content to know that he wouldn't drop her like any normal opponent. Another reason why she had chopped Hojo into bits was because she had known how those experiments and enhancements had felt. Yuffie wasn't alone. And now, she was harder to hurt, and with above average strength.

"Should we stop this?" Vincent asked, looking at Yuffie and then to Nero, who was sitting on a tree stump, wiping his guns.

"They need to get it out of their system," said the younger man dryly. "Don't be too shocked if after this Tifa spends some time in his tent."

Vincent looked mildly disgusted, but Yuffie smiled in amusement. The smaller woman sighed. "Tifa can hold her own, I know that much. And Nero's right, she needs to hash this out with the Chocobo."

Vincent made to grasp her elbow to steer her away from the fight, but she flinched at his touch, since he had been reaching towards her with his golden gauntlet. "Nothing personal," she muttered, seeing the discomfort in his eyes. "Anything sharp… I remember seeing the scalpel and the needles…"

Garnet eyes observed her before he nodded. "I will—refrain from touching you," he said simply.

Yuffie looked embarrassed, but nodded. "I just need to get used to being around sharp, every day objects again. Will you please bring me a chair so that I can watch the fight?"

She fluttered eyelashes at him. and Vincent found that he couldn't even try to convince her to get more rest. Instead he returned quickly with a chair and proceeded to watch the brawl that had been building for days and days now. Cloud seemed to have knocked Tifa back and into the ground, but she rolled and stumbled to her feet, kicking the blond and sending him down on one knee before she knocked his face with both fists.

Cloud surged to his feet as quickly as he could and swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as more blood flowed. Cursing as they caught their breath, he saw how close they had come to the edge of the river. He rammed his fist into her stomach and Tifa let out a loud grunt, grabbing at his hair and pulling painfully. "Reverting to—girly methods?" he spat, locking an arm around her neck and pulling her into a headlock.

Still, she wouldn't release his hair, and Cloud winced when he felt strands tear out. "It's only fair—especially when you _look_ like a girl," Tifa snarked, grunting when he squeezed around her neck and cut off her air. A dirty thought entered her mind, and before she could really think it through, Tifa sent her gloved and sore knuckles right into his most sensitive place.

She felt his grip loosen as a sound of agony moved past his lips, but she didn't give him a chance to recover before she had sent the back of her head rearing into his face. Cloud dropped to the ground, groaning in pain and holding himself in an attempt to sooth the painful throbbing, while Tifa bit back her own cry at the throbbing going on at the back of her head.

"Cheater," Nero called from his spot.

Tifa turned to glare at him, but her distraction proved to be costly when Cloud miraculously got to his feet and speared her right in the middle, slamming her back and down, right into icy cold water.

They both spluttered and tried to catch their breaths, gasping and wheezing. The cold water bit right into their cuts and wounds, making them burn and ache twice as bad. Tifa turned to glare at Cloud, but he wasn't looking at her. "Do you feel better now?" she asked in a low, angry voice. "All I asked for was some time, and you couldn't give me that."

"We don't have the luxury of time," Cloud bit out. "Either of us could be dead in a matter of weeks, even days. You've stopped living, don't you see? You refuse to remember and to heal."

"You're doing the same thing, aren't you?" Tifa asked, indignant. "You worship that girl in the picture as if she were some sort of goddess. You blame yourself for her death when it was _her_ choice to give her life for you."

Cloud's blue eyes turned into chips of ice at her words. "You accused me of trying to assume things about you, and now you're here doing the same with me. You don't know anything about what happened between me and Aerith. I knew better and I let her go with us!" His voice had escalated into a yell as he stood to tower over her. "I let her die!"

Tifa followed, not liking the fact that his height made him look superior. "She chose to die the very _same way_ Zack did!" she yelled right back. Her eyes were losing the cold, hard wall that protected them. "They didn't care how life would be for us without them!"

Her own words made her pause, but Cloud's eyes looked wounded. Tifa was just now realizing how much she had begun to resent Zack for leaving her. He had died and had left her with the burden of his death, of living a life without him and with a child in her arms. _But you took care of that and forgot all about it, didn't you?_ her vicious subconscious questioned.

"They wanted us to live," Cloud said, voice soft as he took a step towards dry ground with a wince. "_They wanted us to live_. That's why they died. They sacrificed their own lives so that we could live on. So that we could have a fighting chance."

"It doesn't change the fact that they're dead, and we're broken," Tifa said bitterly.

Cloud could only shake his head in pity. "They loved us. Maybe they made a sacrifice that would hurt us deeply, but we're here now, and it's up to us to change the world. It's up to us to prove that their deaths weren't for nothing." He left her standing with water flowing around her ankles, hair matted to her cheeks, and blood seeping over her face from a cut in her eyebrow and on her opposite cheekbone. With those parting words, he turned and began to walk back towards camp.

Tifa watched him go, feeling those dreaded tears resurfacing. Now was not the time to break-down, but… _It's up to us to prove that their deaths weren't for nothing_. His words echoed in her hollow mind, making her heart feel as if it were going to explode in her chest from an overload of poisoned feelings and resentment. She had never thought that she would feel that way about Zack, about his death, but it had been festering inside of her, in a dark, forgotten corner. And now—it wanted out.

"Teef?" Yuffie's soft voice came through the roaring haze in Tifa's head. "Come out of the water," she said, avoiding asking the redundant question: are you okay? It was out of place, and completely obvious that she wasn't.

"I need you to—not talk," Tifa said. "Be there, but don't talk."

Yuffie nodded and walked with her old friend as Tifa stepped out of the water and made her way towards the tent they had been sharing. Before they could even reach the halfway point, something caught Tifa's eyes and she bent to pick it up. She glanced at it before continuing on her way, ignoring her brothers, Reeve, and Cid, who had been watching her confrontation with Cloud.

"Should we be raging at Cloud because he hit Tifa?" Barret asked, voice rough and disapproving.

"No," Tifa and Yuffie chorused before they were gone.

"Women these days are fucking crazy," Cid muttered before lighting up a cigarette.

……………

_Her hands were cold, clammy, and shaking. She'd been foolish enough to venture away from the Wutai village she had sought refuge in. Now she was in a potentially deadly situation, and Yuffie with her. She hadn't seen her friend for hours now, and Tifa prayed that she was still alive._

_The tent she had been dropped in was huge, with luxurious pieces of furniture and furs, and she had no doubt that it belonged to the leader of Deepground. She had heard so many stories circling around about the women—young women—who were taken for Weiss, for his—_pleasure_. Tifa could feel the gagging sensation rise inside of her at the thought, but she would rather die before becoming his whore._

"_Was your brain slapped around a little too hard before you were brought in here?" asked a voice from above her._

_Tifa reared back with a shocked gasp, crawling back and away from the man with long, pale spikes, and a dangerous weapon strapped to his hip. "Let me go. I haven't done anything to hurt anyone. Please!"_

_Weiss smiled and kneeled, brushing her cheek with gentle hands. Her eyes were wide with fear in a youthful, beautiful face. The body, from what he could see, would become something amazing when she grew into full womanhood. She was still young, but she would learn to obey his every wish and command. And if she resisted, well, it would be painful for her. He would enjoy breaking her. "Do you know why you were brought here?" he asked in a low voice._

_Tifa's body was beginning to shake, and escaping didn't seem like an option when her arms and legs were tied with thick rope. "I have an idea," she muttered, looking away from his bare chest, trying to ignore the specks of blood that were spattered over the smooth skin._

"_Then you know that I get all that I want," he murmured, grabbing her forearms and hauling her up, his hands beginning to wander._

_She began to thrash in his grip, her wrists chaffing as she tried to work the rope. "Get your hands off of me! I would rather die! Kill me now," she hissed as he dragged her by her hair when she managed to continue wiggling from his grasp. She winced as one wrist finally broke loose and the next time he got her to her feet, she clawed at his face, making him roar in anger more than pain._

_He backhanded her so hard that it left Tifa's ears ringing as she fell to the rough floor. When she looked up at him, her tears were nearly blinding her, but she could see the three deep scratches on his cheek. "You're going to pay dearly for that," he said, pulling her up by her neck this time._

_Tifa gagged, but her hand had reached into her boot—a big mistake from his soldiers, that they hadn't searched her—and she had pulled a silver, gleaming blade from inside a hidden space. As soon as his eyes were burning hatefully into her face, she brought the blade up and slammed it into his shoulder. She then found herself nearly sailing across the room before crashing into a table. Pain raced across her already sore ribs, but she got to her feet and dashed for the opening of the tent. She didn't care if she was killed once she got outside, she just needed to get away from that… monster. Arms like steel wrapped around her middle, hauling her off her feet and patiently carrying her back over to his bed._

_Tifa could feel the blood seeping out from the wound she had inflicted, but he was walking as if it had been just a scratch. She then found herself on her back over his bed, eyes wide and afraid as his body came over hers, the blade she had used to stab him settled over her own throat. "You were captured with another. Unless you wish for her death, or worst, I suggest that you never try a stunt like that again."_

Yuffie,_ she thought inwardly. But no, how could she allow this man to touch her? To force her into something she didn't want?! Tifa began to struggle again, his hands began to pull at her dirty and torn clothing, tearing strategic places. "No! No!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face as his warm blood splashed onto her neck and chest. "Zack! Zack, help me!" she sobbed out, her thoughtss becoming fuzzy, and she only recalled what had always made her feel safe. Her screams were overpowered only by the haze in her mind and her thundering heartbeat._

"Zack," she whimpered, shoving into wakefulness, far away from the horrible memories and nightmares. She looked around, disoriented for a moment before her eyes settled on Yuffie, who had been silently watching her from the cot. There were tears in her own eyes. "I—"

Yuffie shook hear head. "I couldn't sleep because of the nightmares either. You don't have to say anything."

Tifa cracked her neck and stood, moving to pour a cup of water from a container on the table. She handed it to Yuffie and took a seat at the chair she had fallen asleep in. "Did they ever force you?" she asked quietly.

Yuffie grit her teeth and shook her head. "I guess having a boy's body came in handy when the males liked their females."

Yuffie was still on the skinny side, but once she regained her strength, she would be a pretty girl with soft curves. Tifa shook her head and brushed back her smooth strands of hair. "I try not to think about it, but my subconscious is bent on reminding me of that first night when we were captured."

"Maybe you need to focus on something other than fighting and blood. Tifa—haven't you considered Cloud's words?"

Tifa smiled saccharinely. "I tend to ignore chocobos," she muttered.

Yuffie felt a grin pull at her lips. "You like him."

Tifa's eyes snapped to hers, and she glared. "I do not."

"Let's not turn this into a childish argument when be both know _I'm _right," Yuffie said, rolling her eyes. "But I think that the reason why you say you despise him so much is because he's the only one to get under your skin. He doesn't take your shit, and he hits right back."

The older brunette did not look amused. "Yuffie, I seriously think that your brain may have been experimented on as well," she said before getting to her feet.

Yuffie didn't let her comment get to her, and instead shrugged. "Why don't you get some fresh air or something? I need my beauty sleep. I can't look like some desiccated mummy with your hot brothers running around, not to mention Reeve. Cid is on the old side, and Barret—" she trailed off into mutters, turning over on the cot and pulling her blankets higher, almost covering her head. "Maybe you should return that picture to him," she said loudly, making sure Tifa heard before remaining quiet and pretending to sleep.

Tifa let out a long sigh and pulled off her boots and socks, realizing that even though they were in the middle of a forest, the weather had begun to get warmer. Though she still found that certain parts of her body ached and felt tender after her fight with Cloud, something inside of her had released. That building ball of hate in her stomach was loosening, and she loathed that it had taken a man like Cloud to do it. The rush of the river was loud in the otherwise silent camp. The fire pit that had been the center of their little meeting earlier on in the evening was completely put out, and no light but the moon guided Tifa as she slowly moved towards her destination.

She slipped in through the flap of his tent, silent as a shadow, and with the colors of one too. He had been in the process of pulling on a clean t-shirt over his black pants when she had barged in. His hair was still damp from his cool bath in the river, and he looked worn out and far older than his age. Cloud stared at her and remembered all too late that he hadn't wrapped his arm in the usual bandages again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, searching out his glove and attempting to pull it on with the least amount of movement as possible. He noticed then that she was only wearing a black tank-top, and her black, spandex pants. She was also barefoot on the near sweltering night. Her long dark hair was loose, smooth and brushed out, tempting him to touch it, but he knew better than to even get close to her. The bruises were still there, as were the small cuts on her face and knuckles.

"You dropped this," she said, handing him the image of the girl with the beautiful emerald eyes. "I didn't know her, but she looks like she was a good person."

The silence was awkward and uncomfortable for the both of them. Cloud could see her effort at making peace with him, but he knew that he would always have to tread carefully where Tifa was concerned. He wasn't delusional enough to say that he was in love with her, but something inside of him made him want to care. He wanted to pull her out from under that thundercloud that had been hovering over her head since she had lost everything. Using violence hadn't been the best way, but at least she had gotten some of the poison and resentment out of her system. For now it was a start.

"She was," Cloud said, after a moment. He walked over to a small steel box sitting on his small table and set the photo gently inside, as if handling the very person herself. "Thank you," he said, not turning to look at Tifa.

"Right," she said, turning to leave.

His hand caught her wrist before he could even think about what he was doing, but she turned, curious and a bit cautious. "I'm sorry about what I said to you. You're right. I don't know anything about you, and it's wrong for me to make assumptions about you."

Tifa searched his cerulean gaze and nodded. "Apology accepted. I—I'm not an easy person to talk to; I can admit that. I used to be, back when I lived happy and sheltered in Nibelheim, but life has been cruel to me. I've learned to not think with my heart anymore. That's why killing doesn't bother me the way you wish it would."

Again his hand disobeyed his pleas when the back of his fingers brushed over the wound on her lower lip. She was watching him silently, attempting to guess what it was that he was trying to accomplish, but her eyes had fastened on his left hand, which was the only one with a glove. Meeting his gaze once more, her hands drifted down to the glove and lifted his hand between hers.

"Don't—" he started, but her eyes silenced him, as did the tugging of the leather from his hand. He waited to see the repulsion and pity on her face, but it never came. Instead, her eyes traced over the scars, her fingers traveling over the skin in a ghost of a touch.

"You shouldn't hide your scars," she said in a voice almost drowned out by the noises of nature outside.

"Why not?" He said, mirroring her volume. A shiver raced up his spine when the tips of her fingers traveled up his arm, over scratches, and faded scars on his biceps.

Cloud couldn't pinpoint when the atmosphere had changed around them, but he suspected that it had started with his first touch against her wrist. Without the added height of her boots, she was a few inches shorter than he was, and at the perfect angle to—kiss her. He had inched closer to her and her eyes were on his lips, all he had to do was move closer and—the kiss was chaste and unlike anything he had ever felt. A feather light caress that he wanted nothing more than to deepen into something smoldering.

Just as he had decided to touch her, an explosion went off with a deafening roar, tearing them apart before they raced out of the tent to see that the forest was in flames. Reeve was racing towards them. "It's Deepground!" he yelled. "They triggered a trap, and we have to go before it's too late!"

"Get Yuffie to the ship," Tifa said to Reeve.

"We need to fight and give them the chance to escape," Cloud said. Tifa nodded. "Get your weapons and meet me by the river. Go!" he yelled.

Tifa raced away to grab her boots and all the weapons she could manage, relief coursing through her when she saw that Reeve was carrying a complaining Yuffie away, towards the airship.

Vincent and Nero were by Cloud's side, and they were all ready for the battle to come. "You should go with them," Vincent said to Tifa.

"I won't leave you all to your death," Tifa said sternly. "We can take them." Her eyes darted towards Cloud as he swung his sword in a familiar stance that made her heart beat with something new. He nodded once, reassuring.

"Such confidence, coming from a worthless insect I am very willing to squash," purred a voice from the darkness.

Cloud's shoulders stiffened in rage, and he moved to step closer to Tifa. "Rosso."

She remained in the shadows, but her malicious laugh echoed all around them. "Very good. You remember me. And I can assure you that by the end of this night, the last thing you see before death will be my face."

"For Aerith?" Tifa asked, voice soft.

Cloud nodded, his mouth twitching into a wry smile. "And for you."

…

…

…

…

…

And here I thought this fic would be about three chapters long. I need to be stopped because I write entirely too much for one chapter! Anyway, I'll have to see how well I can bring about the fight scene coming up. You know, originally, I had contemplated on getting them right down to _business_ after the fight, but it would be _way_ too soon, and I think it's better for more things to happen between them. The attraction, love/hate thing is there now, all we need is a few more things to shove them in the right direction.

Also, I really hope that whole abuse thing wasn't too bad; I wanted to keep from being explicit, so that was the end result. It was honestly one of the things that I was most nervous about using in this fic. I really hope no one was offended or freaked out by it.

And for those of you waiting for _Love Game_, just a bit more patience. I will work on it and try to get the next chapter out quick. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday/end of the year and that your year started out better than the last. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing the previous chapter, and until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update this story! Valk, I found a good ending for this chapter, as promised, so I hope you enjoy it. To those of you who reviewed and offered such great words of encouragement, thank you! I had some trouble with the beginning fight scene here, so if it's not as smooth as it should be, feel free to point it out. I'll stop talking now and let you all get to the chapter!

_Warnings: Language and fighting._

………………………………

**Coming Undone**

………………………………

She stepped out of a the darkness of trees, fire rising a distance away. She was the color of blood and pale skin, eyes reflecting her malevolent nature, and with weapons that had claimed hundreds of innocent lives. Her eyes scanned the fighters before her quickly and her eyebrows rose in amusement as they landed on Tifa. "I knew Weiss made a mistake when he allowed you to go." When Tifa's face tightened in anger, Rosso let out a throaty laugh. "Did you honestly think that there would be anyone who could escape Deepground with their lives?"

"_Why_ did he let me go then?" Tifa asked in a dark tone.

Rosso sighed and idly twirled her long, double-bladed lance. "He said that it would make the anticipation of your recapture all the better," her heavily accented voice purred.

Tifa felt her blood freeze in her veins. "Tell him I rather slit my own throat than go back to him."

"Poor little fool. Weiss was too generous when he did not eviscerate you that first moment you attempted to kill him."

Cloud had heard enough. "How did you find us?" he snarled.

Rosso disregarded him and her eyes slid over to the other two men she had ignored, an evil smile curling at her lips. "Such handsome boys. Weiss is still awaiting your return, Nero."

All eyes snapped to the youngest gunman as his red-gold eyes flashed in anger. "Weiss is dead to me, and he has been for years. I know that we're all eager to get this over with," he said, raising both guns towards the crimson woman.

Tifa blinked in surprise, staring at the man that she had considered a brother for years. He was… related to Weiss? She had always known that Nero wasn't her blood brother—she had been old enough to know that when Vincent had brought him home—but to find out that a monster's blood was running through his veins too… She would need one hell of an explanation, but now was not the time. Her attentions shifted back to Rosso, and Tifa could feel that cold calm coming over her, the one that allowed for her to kill with no remorse.

"Ah, but Weiss' pet did not know this," Rosso said, chuckling in dark amusement. "Yes, Nero is the youngest brother of our Immaculate Emperor. He did his brother's bidding for years; he killed, slaughtered, and gutted at the mere flick of a wrist."

He'd barely been a teenager when he had become a part of their family, Tifa thought distantly. That meant that he'd been killing for his brother from an early age; since before his teen years. She wasn't judging him, she had no right to after all she had done herself, but it was still unexpected. Her eyes drifted to Nero, and feeling her gaze on him, he turned to her. It pained a part of her to see him look away shamefully, but before she could ignore what he had been, Tifa needed to know his true story. "Tifa!" Vincent yelled.

The sound of a blade cutting through air startled her out of her distracted daze and Tifa leaned far back before Rosso could slice her head right off. She was on her feet within seconds and attacking, and so were the other men, but there was little Vincent and Nero could do without risking her getting hit by a bullet. Rosso smiled evilly in anticipation, making her lance expand as she let out a barrage of bullets that had them all scattering to avoid getting hit. Cloud's massive blade cut through the air in blue flames before they erupted, lifting the ground when he slammed the sword forward. His attack raced towards Rosso quickly, but it wasn't enough.

"Long range attacks will do nothing," Tifa said as they watched her dodge the speedy counterattack. "I'll distract her."

Cloud's eyes met Tifa's for a second, and she nodded once before he mirrored her. Tifa raced on quick feet towards the woman, rolling as more bullets flew over her head, a stray burning past her arm. She hissed but ignored the throbbing pain, sweeping her katana towards the other woman's face. Rosso defended before she pushed forward, their blades clashing loudly.

"You have learned much, but not enough," the woman purred, going on the offense, slashing purposely at Tifa's middle.

Tifa grunted when the sharp blade slashed through her shirt and stomach, leaving behind a shallow, red welt. Cloud's blade clanged against Rosso's shoving the woman away from Tifa. The hatred she felt for Rosso was so great in that moment, that Tifa couldn't bring herself to care if Cloud was the one saving her. As he drove the redhead back, Vincent and Nero shot off their guns, both flanking Tifa in order to offer some cover in case Rosso tried to attack again.

Tifa slipped back into the battle, sweeping her blade in an arc, watching as Cloud ducked right on cue and her katana cut across Rosso's collarbone. The woman stepped back and touched her chest, pulling back her hand to stare at the warm liquid now seeping through the material of her glove. "You made me bleed," she drawled.

"Not as much as you made _me_ bleed," Tifa spat, activating her haste materia; she looked up at the tingle of two spells instead of one. She didn't turn her attention to Cloud this time, but she knew he had cast a barrier on her. In the distance, Tifa could hear the airship still hovering above them, shooting into the forest against the other enemies.

Vincent frowned at the distance sound of gunfire and spoke to Nero without taking his eyes from Rosso. "We should clear the surrounding area," he said in a low tone. Nero nodded and they both darted into the trees, avoiding causing any distraction for the others.

Cloud moved forward, slashing and stabbing with his sword as Rosso parried, jumping back on light feet. Tifa watched her movements for a moment before darting forward and coming in on Rosso's left, throwing her attention off. Cloud swung with the blunt side of his sword and struck her shoulder hard. The woman grunted in pain, but stopped defending and began to move forward, lashing out at Cloud and narrowly missing slicing across his throat. Taking advantage of the shirt of attention, Tifa ran her through at her shoulder; Rosso's grunt echoed as she brought a hand up and to Tifa's neck, her gauntlet digging and cutting into Tifa's throat. "What I wouldn't give to rip out your windpipe," the crimson woman purred, ignoring the blade in her shoulder that was still slowly inching in.

"Do it," Tifa hissed. "Afraid of what your master will do to you?"

"You are the one who should be afraid, because Weiss will have you again. I never understood what he saw in you," Rosso sneered.

Tifa's eyes narrowed. "Give him a message from me," she murmured. She activated a weak flare spell—she wasn't looking to kill herself—right into Rosso's face and both flew backwards, Tifa feeling the burn of her spell against her skin. The light was near blinding, and she wasn't able to catch herself when she fell onto the hard ground. She blinked a few times, the spots beginning to fade, and she could hear Cloud's blade clashing loudly again even before her eyesight returned.

Her movements were slow as she sat up, her skin crawling and still burning with the aftereffects of her spell. Shouldn't the barrier had protected her from most of the blast? She couldn't quite figure out why she was beginning to lose strength in her limbs, or why her stomach felt as if it were on fire as she stood. Tifa grunted when Cloud shoved her out of the way and she stumbled to her knees again, her vision swimming. "Tifa, get up!" Cloud yelled.

But she couldn't manage it. Her arms and legs were growing weaker, and it felt as if there were hundreds of needles stabbing into her. "Can't!" she yelled.

Rosso grinned evilly. "It's a gift from Weiss to his beloved pet. If you do not tend to her, her heart will fail and she will _finally_ die," Rosso said, lowering her weapon when Cloud hesitated. "Hesitation will get you killed in a real battle," she said, smirking, the left side of her body red and burned from where Tifa's minor spell had hit her. "I will retreat, but we will meet again, Strife. And the next time we do, I will be willing to risk Weiss' wrath in order to run through this girlfriend of yours as well."

Cloud held out his blade in front of him and trained on the direction Rosso had taken in her retreat. When he was sure that it wasn't some sort of trap, he darted towards Tifa, who was gasping out breaths, fingers clenched into the dirt. "How did she manage to poison you?"

"Stomach," Tifa groaned out.

Cloud lifted her shirt and inspected the wound. Normally it would've been a small scratch, nothing too deep, but Rosso's weapon must have been poisoned because the scratch was swollen and red, spreading over her pale skin. "Come on," Cloud grunted, picking Tifa up and trying to ignore her moan of pain as the positioned he held her in squeezed the skin of her stomach.

Vincent and Nero darted out of the woods and towards Cloud, confused expressions on both their faces. "What happened?" Vincent asked.

"Rosso poisoned her and retreated," said Cloud. "Call Cid and tell him that we need him to land now."

Nero was the one to pull out his phone and call while Vincent kept guard, gun in hand. The massive airship moved into the clearing and landed only long enough for all four to step in through the back hangar before it took off.

"Tifa?" Vincent asked her in a quiet voice. "You _will _be fine. Can you hear me?"

Everything was beginning to blur at the edges, but she could still see glimpses of Cloud's worried eyes, usually so cold and calm, and she could hear her brother's voice like a faint echo. Her focus returned to Cloud, and some distant part of her realized that he was carrying her close, protective. He was worried—about her? The poison was racing through her system, making her body ache and feel an agonizing pain every time she was jostled or squeezed too hard by the blond carrying her.

She was burning up with a fever, and as she kept her gaze on Cloud, his image was superimposed by another, one with a different shade of blue eyes, and hair the color of a moonless Nibelheim night. "Zack," she whispered, barely audible, her hand convulsing against his shirt. She didn't feel Cloud stiffen, but she did feel his arms tighten, making her cry out in pain. His hold eased up, but he didn't apologize, or look away from her bleary gaze.

She was unaware of the fact that they had boarded the Shera, or that Cloud was running with her in his arms. "Put her down here," Reeve instructed Cloud, motioning towards an examining table before he raced out of the room.

Cloud set her down gently, wincing at her groans of pain. When he went to move back to let the medics tend to her, her hand wouldn't release his shirt. He tugged at her fingers and tightened his gloved hand around hers. "I'm here, Tifa."

A woman in a white coat injected her with something that made her entire body slacken, but her breathing was still labored and her face was damp with sweat. "I've never seen a reaction like this," she said quietly. "I'll need to draw blood from her so that I can look into what kind of poison it is."

"We're losing her, and while you research the poison, she may die on us," said a man, injecting Tifa with _another_ solution.

"What about materia?" Cloud asked, reaching for his bracer.

The woman shook her head. "We can't know if the poison has been engineered to resist a cure that way. We may end up hurting her more. I just need a minute," she said, grabbing a needle to draw blood. She raced towards the equipment located on the other side of the room to examine the sample, and Cloud had to stand and watch Tifa as her breathing became labored and her skin grew pasty.

"Stay, damn it," he snarled, gripping her hand tightly. "You can't die before we repay those who have hurt us. This can't be your end, Tifa."

Her eyes opened a sliver, unfocused but more aware than she had been a few minutes before. "Cloud?"

"Hey, you heard me, right?" he muttered, brushing her sweat soaked hair away from her face. "You'll need to live in order to kick some sense into me when I'm being an asshole."

Her lips twitched, but her skin was still too pale and clammy. "I'll—try."

Cloud nodded and stepped back when the doctors returned, one of them holding another syringe. "What is that?"

"The poison she was injected with is not entirely dangerous. It's a common substance that has a specific antidote. It was not administered to kill her immediately, but just to cause pain and discomfort. But if she remains with it in her system for too long, it _will _stop her heart," said the woman, shaking her head.

The blond watched silently as Tifa's breathing slowed and her eyes closed as the antidote entered her system. "She's going to be okay?" he asked.

The doctor nodded. "She'll be fine in a few hours. She'll need sleep and bed rest."

The door slipped open and Reeve stepped in, a flat machine in his hand. "Cloud, I need you to step outside for a moment."

"Why? What's going on?" Cloud asked, frowning.

"I think I have an idea on how we were tracked. I'll get to you next, but I need to check Tifa first," Reeve said, motioning towards the door.

Cloud forced down his irritation and nodded, moving to step out. He paused and looked back at Tifa who had fallen unconscious once more and he had to resist touching her before walking out. There were so many conflicting thoughts in his mind but through it all he felt that he cared about her. His head was screaming at him to not go there, but his heart was telling him that she was a kindred spirit, and that she need someone to care for her, even if she was unable to care for him in return.

Shaking his head to himself, he made his way down the corridor that led to his room, berating himself for being a fool. Now wasn't the time to open up his heart to anyone. Not when the woman he was beginning to see differently was even more jaded than he was. Maybe a shower would help, and after he was clean, he'd sit with Tifa for a while to think things through.

……

_A feather light brush against her cheek felt like the touch of a cool wind, barely there, yet relaxing. "It isn't your time yet. I know you're not ready to give up. I can feel it, Teef. Live… and make things right. Please, you _have _to make everything right again."_

Tifa woke on a choked gasp, Zack's voice still echoing in her head. "Wh—"

"Don't get up," Cloud said, gently pushing her back down onto the bed.

She stared up at him, from his hand on her shoulder, up his scarred arm, his shoulder, pale neck, sharp chin, and those sky blue eyes. Her cold fingers slid over the skin of the arm he hid from others, smoothing her digits over the scars in a soothing manner. "Where are we?" she asked, voice hoarse and throat dry.

Cloud handed her a cup of water and watched her take small sips before answering. "On the Shera. We're heading to Wutai."

Tifa's eyes grew wide at his words. "Wutai?" she asked, coughing to clear her throat.

He nodded. "We got information out of some of the DG guards that we captured, and it may lead us to a trap, or away from Weiss' true intentions, but we've been told that Wutai is next to be attacked."

This time Tifa forced herself to a sitting position and realized that she was in nothing but a pair of sweats and a hospital gown, opened at the back. There was also a piece of gauze taped to the back of her neck. Cloud attempted to push her back, but despite her weakened state, Tifa avoided his hands and got to her wobbly feet. "I need to talk to Yuffie and my brothers," she said, leaning against a table when she felt faintness surround her.

"Get back into bed and I'll tell them to come here," Cloud snapped, walking out of the room briskly.

His tense shoulders and fisted hands told Tifa that he was angry. She didn't have time to babysit him when there were more pressing matters at hand, but she couldn't bring herself snark or insult him anymore. Flashes of Cloud's face pushed to the front of her memories, showing her his worried features as he carried her in his arms to safety after Rosso had poisoned her. She would thank him later. A knock at her door alerted her to her siblings and Yuffie, who was leaning against Vincent. Her old friend winked at her and then smiled at Cloud.

"I'll be outside," Cloud said gruffly, leaving before Tifa could tell him that it was fine for him to stay.

"What did you do to him?" Yuffie asked with a huff, staring daggers at Tifa. "He's been sitting at your bedside since he brought you back from the fight. Can't you be _a little _nicer to him?"

"Now is not the time to talk about my manners," Tifa said, though she couldn't deny the pleasant feeling in her chest at the knowledge. "How can we know that we're not heading into a trap in Wutai?"

Vincent led Yuffie to a chair and sat her down. "We don't. But we need to make sure that Lord Godo is protected. He may have the Wusheng with him, but they may not be enough to protect everyone if they're attacked."

"Have you ever seen a ninja do battle?" Yuffie asked him dryly.

"I have," Vincent replied, his gaze straying to Tifa.

"Then you'll know that a group of ninjas are more than capable of defending my father and our people," Yuffie said simply.

"Nevertheless, we must go to Wutai to replenish our weapons and to secure something valuable," Vincent said, voice turning commanding. Yuffie's gaze moved to Tifa and she saw her flinch, but she decided to keep silent. For the moment.

"When will we arrive?" Tifa asked, rubbing at the healed wound on her stomach.

Nero, who had remained quiet since his entrance into her room, spoke next. "By sunrise, in two more hours."

Tifa looked at him and nodded. "That gives us enough time to talk. Don't you think, Nero?" she asked, solemn.

Nero, usually so calm and unaffected, gave her a shame-filled look and nodded. "I suppose now would be the best time to get everything out in the open."

"What Rosso said about you—"

Nero interrupted. "It's all true."

"And you knew?" Tifa asked Vincent, eyes glowing like hot embers.

Vincent nodded once. "He was hurt and starved when I brought him home. I knew who he was even before he admitted it to me. I'd seen pictures of him, but Nero was a different man when he came into our lives, Tifa."

"You've been nothing but protective and a good brother to me," Tifa started, looking at Nero. "But how can we know that you're not the one who has been giving our locations away to Weiss?"

Nero looked as if he were uncomfortable with her question, but Yuffie, having been the master of tactlessness her entire life, jumped right into the conversation. "Reeve made this weird little gizmo thing to scan the ship and other items to make sure that no one can find us. I guess he's taken precautions since it was near impossible for Rosso and DG to have found us so easily in the forest. Everyone was scanned, but when he finally got to you, he scanned your body and retrieved a tracking device. They removed it while you were out," she said bluntly.

Tifa paled at what her old friend was saying. _"What?!"_ she asked, deathly quiet.

"Weiss has been tracking you since you _escaped_," Nero said dryly. He gave Tifa a look. "No one escapes Weiss unless he allows it."

Tifa rubbed an agitated hand across her face. "He's been following me this entire time. Fuck," she whispered the last word. "I could've gotten us all killed and without knowing it. Why hasn't he captured me and taken me back?" she asked, puzzled and disgusted. "Are we sure that any other tracking devices were removed?"

"I had one, too," Nero said, tense.

Tifa wasn't all too surprised. She _was_ surprised over the fact that Weiss hadn't attacked them sooner. He had probably gotten word that they were working with AVALANCHE by now, and his wrath would be even more powerful. "Tell me your story," Tifa said, not looking at Nero.

Vincent noticed that Yuffie had sagged a little against him, even while she sat, and he hauled her up and turned towards the door instead. "We will go find something to eat," he said, pulling her along.

"But I want to hear the story!" Yuffie half-whined.

"This is something they need to get out in the open. Alone," Vincent said, stern. Yuffie's pout was endearing, but he tore his eyes away and focused on his siblings. Though Tifa was the only one by blood, he still cared for Nero, since he had been privy to the state the younger man had been in. Nero had been almost as broken as Tifa herself when he had left Weiss.

"From the moment Vincent brought you home, I've seen you like a brother," Tifa said, quiet. "I want to trust you, but you need to be completely honest with me."

Nero nodded and took a seat at her bedside. "Weiss and I come from the same mother but different fathers. We were inseparable, and together we joined SOLDIER. There, we were foolish enough to volunteer for a special ShinRa program in which we were experimented on. His father was a scientist who was in charge of the experiments done to us.

"We became twice as strong than we were, but Weiss wanted more. I followed him blindly, never questioning and doing all in my power to please my big brother. I didn't know that he had been harboring thoughts of power and world domination. Weiss waited until he was powerful enough to break away, and that was how the war began." Nero paused and stared down at his hands.

Tifa shifted and one of her hands closed around his in silent support. Despite what she was learning about him, she found that in her heart she would never consider Nero an enemy. "Continue, please."

Nero sighed and stared down at their hands. "After he began to attack ShinRa and the WRO, he allowed himself to undergo various experiments at the hands of Hojo, and despite the fact that I'd served him well for years, he didn't take my wishes into consideration and handed me over to Hojo as well."

"You didn't want to be experimented on," Tifa whispered. "Did Hojo do anything to you?"

Nero shook his dark head, raising his crimson-gold eyes to meet hers. "Aside from overseeing the required mako injections in SOLDIER, he was never able to place a hand, or scalpel, on me. I escaped before he could. I thought about how easy it had been to leave, but I never expected that my own brother had fitted me with a tracking device. I wandered for many days before Vincent found me and took me in.

"I always wondered if he knew who I was, but your brother is a good man. He didn't ask questions, and he treated me like a real member of your family. From that day on, from the moment the both of you showed me kindness without demanding anything in return, I considered you both family," he said, tone light.

Tifa gave him one of her rare, honest smiles and nodded. "You're our brother, Nero. You turned your back on Weiss, you had enough of serving him and you had the courage to walk away. Now you're helping us fight against him and that makes you a great brother to me."

Nero gave her a half-smile. "Thank you, Tifa."

"You're welcome, brother."

Nero gave her a look as he squeezed her hand. "Since you're pretty much convinced that I make a good brother, might I point out that the blond guy has been sitting with you since he brought you in? He was worried, Tifa, and you've been treating him like dirt since you met him."

Tifa sighed and attempted to pull her hand away from his, but Nero's grip didn't budge. "He hasn't exactly been a gentleman. You've seen the way he treats me, too," she said petulantly.

"He likes you, Tifa. Don't you think it's time for you to move on?" Nero asked in a whisper.

"I—it's not as easy as you make it seem. I don't have it in me to give what's left of my heart to someone else while Weiss is out there, exterminating people. We don't even know_ why_ he does it," Tifa replied.

"Once Weiss has been taken care of, you will need to make amends with one specific person, Tifa. He deserves a family and I'm sure this Cloud fellow will be more than willing to start a family with you."

Tifa scoffed. "I think you're getting ahead of yourself."

"The tension is there, dear sister. Eventually it will _explode_…"

She ignored Nero's dirty smirk and finally snatched her hand out of his. "Go and tell him to come here, will you?"

"I'll be sure to lock the door and warn the others to not approach the room once he's in here," Nero said as he stood and began to walk away.

"If I had a weapon on me, I would've maimed you right this minute," Tifa muttered.

"I'm your big brother, and as such, I demand respect. Besides, you always threaten to maim me and you never go through with it," Nero said before he was out the door.

Tifa shook her head and smiled slightly to herself, standing up on wobbly feet to get to her bag in search of clean clothing to wear. She felt faintly naked in pair of large sweats and the thin hospital gown. Cloud returned to her room when she was attempting to reach behind her and untie the knot in the middle of her back.

She paused her failed attempts at changing her clothing and motioned towards the chair in front of her, watching him from the corner of her eye, but unable to meet his gaze. Their almost kiss was still present in her mind, and a big part of her mourned the fact that they had been interrupted. Another part of her was thankful because any type of passionate move from either of them would be inviting trouble. "I wanted to thank you for watching over me," she said after the silence had stretched.

Cloud inclined his head. "You're welcome," he replied.

More silence until Tifa forced herself to look up at him. He was staring at the top of her head, his gaze unreadable. "I want us to get along. I don't… I don't hate you," she muttered, staring at his boots to avoid his eyes once more.

She missed Cloud's smirk. "Are you calling a truce?"

She shrugged. "Maybe." Her eyes softened with her next words. "I—I appreciate you wanting to keep Zack's memory alive."

His own eyes filled with old pain as he nodded. "He was like a brother to me. It's only fair that we honor his memory."

Tifa nodded. "We will. But for the moment I think it's important to keep focused on our tasks."

"You're right," Cloud said, quiet. "We need to meet with the others to discuss a way of contacting Lord Godo. Apparently, he's gone into hiding; Reeve and Vincent believe that they have gotten word of the imminent attack. There are countless caves in Wutai and it would take us too long to search each one."

"By the time we get there, Yuffie and I will be strong enough to go for a trek through the forests of Wutai. She and I will find Lord Godo."

"How?" Cloud asked, though his knee-jerk reaction had been to tell her that she couldn't go alone. He seriously needed to stop all of the troublesome thoughts and feelings taking root in his head.

"We will watch a town, one close to the caves, and we'll wait," Tifa said, getting to her feet.

"That doesn't sound like much of a plan," Cloud replied.

"I know it doesn't, but it's the best course to follow. If the Wusheng is as good as it was when I trained with them, they will find us and take us to Godo. But if all of you men go, they will automatically think we're attempting to attack or put Godo in danger. It's best that they only see two women," said Tifa, leaning against the table she was standing near when a wave of vertigo hit her.

Cloud caught her elbow and steadied her, worry forking his eyebrows. "You should rest the time we have left before we arrive in Wutai," he said.

Tifa let out a slow breath and shook her head. "I don't have time to rest. Where are my weapons?" she asked, stepping back so that Cloud would release her. He didn't. "Cloud, I need to get ready," she started in annoyance.

His fingers against her chin surprised her, but Tifa didn't flinch away or pull back. He turned her face to look him in the eyes, and without the added advantage of her boots, he was taller than her, shoulders broad, and hands warm where they were still touching her. "You almost died," he said, voice low.

"It wasn't my intention," Tifa said in a hushed tone, forcing her eyes to stay with his and not dart down to look at his lips.

"You're not fully recovered. Should I get Reeve up here with some kind of sedative to make you rest?" Cloud asked, raising a pale eyebrow.

Tifa smirked. "Even in my weakened state I can hand Reeve his own ass."

"Can you hand me mine?" Cloud challenged, taking a step forward and closing the gap between them.

Tifa's eyes betrayed her and strayed to the curve of his smile, lips smooth, and bottom lip fuller than the top. "Do you want me to try?"

The blond released her abruptly and watched impassively as Tifa swayed, her strength not fully returned. "You were saying?" he asked, grabbing at her forearms to keep her steady.

"You're taking advantage," Tifa said, annoyed.

He chuckled, deep and honest. "Oh, that's _not_ me taking advantage."

"Really?" she asked dryly.

"Yes."

"Then what do you look like when you _are _taking advantage?" Tifa questioned,

"Do you really want to know?" Cloud asked, inspecting her face, the bags under her eyes, the still pale tinge of her skin. Despite it all, Tifa was a beautiful, tempting woman, and Cloud's common sense seemed to have fallen silent. He watched her as she nodded once, a glitter of challenge in those wine colored eyes. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"But you didn't—"

Tifa's words were cut off by the warm press of Cloud's lips against hers, coaxing and gentle, at odds with the man she had butted heads with from the beginning. Her body had forgotten what it felt like to be kissed by a man, and it felt like awakening from a long slumber. The kiss remained chaste for the entirety of Tifa's shock, but then her own parted for his assault, and Cloud gladly obliged, his hands sliding down to circle her waist. His tongue was slick and warm, moving as if he had done this millions of times before.

Cloud bit back a groan when her hands moved up and into his hair, her body pushing up flush against his. He took a step, then another, and another, until he felt the cool metal of the ship wall behind Tifa and he pushed her against it. Tifa's breathing was coming in rough exhales, her fingers moving to dig into his shoulders. He was running out of breath quickly, but now that he had gotten a taste of her it was hard to stop sampling from her lips.

She pulled away first, eyes closed and breathing rough, but she didn't shove him away, or attempt to kick his head off of his shoulders. Cloud watched her intently, his hands now at the small of her back, pressing her body against his. "That was a dirty tactic."

"This coming from a mercenary?" he asked, tone light.

Tifa smirked and finally opened her eyes to give him a smug look. "This isn't exactly helpful," she said, her gaze on his lips. "We need to focus on our task."

"I want you to focus on your health first. Will you at least lay down for the next two hours?" Cloud asked her, serious.

Tifa glared at him, but for once, offered no insult or snide comment as Cloud led her back to the bed she had been resting in. "This doesn't make us friends, you know," she whispered as her head fell back against her pillow.

Cloud didn't look even remotely insulted. "I know. We're much too far away from that, but maybe we were meant to help each other cope, to help each other get through this war and to the very end."

Tifa's eyes drooped a little, despite her protests of being fine. "This will complicate things."

"I know." His voice was tinged with amusement.

"And you'll still allow it to happen?" Tifa asked, her eyes closing.

"Maybe we both need for whatever this is to happen." Cloud sighed when his own body betrayed him and his hand moved forward to brush her hair away from her face.

She cracked one eye open to look at him, but then she simply closed it, a long, tired breath escaping her. "Remember that you said I could knock your head off whenever you're being an asshole."

His abrupt laugh was nice to hear because of how honest it sounded. Tifa smirked to herself and wasn't aware that her lips had smoothed out into a smile as sleep began to claim her.

Cloud remained silent until her breathing evened out and she was asleep once more, her dark hair fanning over her pillow. It was then that he noticed that her hand was laying on the wrist where his burn scar was. He knew Tifa was right when she said that they were inviting trouble, but honestly, after that kiss? He couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe later he would, but for now, he had a momentary reprieve from his guilt and his anger.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Ha, so there's another truce now… all we have to wait and see is how long it lasts this time. We're progressing forward, and the next chapter will bring Wutai as well as many, _many_ surprises in store for both Cloud and Tifa. I should go now, since it's two in the morning here and I'm falling asleep. Any errors on this last portion will be taken care of later, oh and I'll post up the songs that inspired this chapter, too. I can't seem to remember them right now. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a good weekend!


	5. Chapter 5

Valk, sorry it took me a while to post, but I added to the ending a bit. This chapter goes into more of Tifa's past and a couple of surprises will be revealed. There's not much action or violence, but it'll come soon. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, so thank you so much for all the encouraging and positive words. This chapter was inspired by Paramore's "Let the Flames Begin." Also, I did some reading on who the Wusheng are, and though it's not accurate, I'll be referring to a group of ninjas as the Wusheng. I hope it doesn't throw anyone off. Enjoy!

_Warnings: Some possible angst._

………………………………

**Coming Undone**

………………………………

Wutai had been one of the last countries that had been able to hold against Weiss and his DG soldiers. Though a large part of country was laying in ruins, and the part that wasn't was being guarded by the Wusheng, Wutai's native, ninja warriors. The population had been cut in half, but most refugees were finding shelter in the many caves near the coast along with Lord Godo, who had remained on the move, evading Weiss.

Tifa stood with Yuffie in the outskirts of the village they had both been residing in before their capture years ago. There weren't many living there, most houses seemed to be abandoned, but those that had stayed had remained in order to keep raising their crops and to keep up the food production.

Crouched low and keeping their eyes open for anything potentially dangerous, or a trap, Yuffie sighed mournfully at the sight of her destroyed country. Rain had made their trek more difficult, but they both still remembered the landscape. "He's going to pay for this," the former ninja whispered, referring to her country.

"That he will," replied her friend. Tifa moved forward to creep closer, when the snick of a sword being drawn drew her attention, and she turned in time to see a sword right under Yuffie's throat. Tifa's katana was out before the masked figure could react, and the tip was pressed between his eyes. "Release her," Tifa said in a low voice.

"Lower your weapon or I will slit her throat before you can even blink," said the masked man. He was just about a head taller than her, and even more so than Yuffie, but his athletic build could not be hidden by the ninja garb he was decked out in. "Identify yourselves."

He didn't have the Wutain accent that she remembered from her stay years ago. All ninjas were Wutain, and some hadn't learned how to speak Midgarian. This one was too big to be a real ninja, and he spoke with sharp authority; the same way someone in the military would speak. "Release her and fight me like an honorable warrior and not behind a hostage. We're here to see Godo."

"Lord Godo is in hiding, and for all I know, the both of you are here to carry on Deepground's plans to murder him," said the man.

"Why would I want to murder my old man?!" Yuffie shrieked, feeling the hysteria rise at the feel of the sharp blade pressing into her neck. Flashes of the sharp scalpel in Hojo's hand were making her panic in a way that angered her at the same time.

"Yuffie Kisaragi is dead. She was captured years ago and no one knows what became of her," the man said suspiciously.

Tifa hadn't wanted to divulge Yuffie's identity, but her friend had gone on and done it anyway. "You are not a true member of the Wusheng. Who are you?" she asked instead.

The man's blue eyes seemed to sear through his mask, and he shook his head. "If you set your weapons down, I will take you to see Lord Godo."

"I am not traipsing through the wilderness unarmed," Tifa said, frowning. "Besides, a while back, I trained with the Wusheng."

"No one trains with the Wusheng easily, girl. You must be delusional."

"She speaks the truth," came a voice from behind them.

Tifa whirled, taking a stance she had learned from her old sensei and cursing herself for being too distracted to mind her surroundings. She was getting too comfortable and too damned careless. Her katana lowered quickly when she saw who it was, but the man's eyes were all for Yuffie as they filled with tears.

"Yuffie?" he asked, voice clogging.

The shorter woman nodded and shoved away from the man that had been threatening her only minutes before. "Hey… old man," she said with a half smile.

Godo's eyes overflowed and he rushed forward to wrap Yuffie in an uncomfortable hug that she attempted to return. Tifa knew that Yuffie had the same reservations about physical touch that she did, so she felt sympathy fill her chest for her younger friend. "I believed you were dead," the former Emperor whispered in Wutain.

Yuffie swallowed hard, keeping her own tears at bay. "I'm here now. Tifa saved me."

Godo didn't release Yuffie, but he turned sideways to look at her, inspecting Tifa critically from head to toe. "The stance of a warrior. Where have you been all of this time, child?"

"Getting acquainted with death," Tifa replied in Wutain.

Seeing her so battle hardened, and his own daughter so weary and broken, Godo felt like crying to Leviathan for bringing him back fragments of the beautiful girls he had known and loved long ago. What had they been forced to go through that had left them this way? "We should return to the caves. I have no doubt that Weiss has spies in Wutai, ready to give away our position."

Yuffie and Tifa followed the winding paths the ninjas guarding Godo took, and Tifa noted with interest that they were covering their tracks expertly. It wasn't a wonder anymore as to why Weiss hadn't been able to find old Godo. The cave they entered was one with an underground entrance that was hidden by trees and foliage and not easy to find. The tunnel inside had torches lighting up the way into the main portion of the cave. Tifa watched in amazement as they came across hundreds of people sleeping in alcoves that were almost individual rooms, and that there was a wide space where everyone was eating and conversing. The laughter of children bounced off the cave walls and she found her eyes scanning the small heads for _him._

"Come, you must be tired," Godo said, motioning for Yuffie and Tifa to follow him to his individual space, where a comfortable cot, chairs, and a table had been set up for him. There was also a large trunk where he probably kept his weapons and other items he would not part with, and a second trunk for clothing.

"We have friends who we need to report back to," Yuffie said. "And they have an airship that we can use as an escape, but we'll need a place to hide it.

"An airship?" Godo asked, curious. "I'll have to see it soon." He gave a group of his ninjas a few instructions before turning to look at the both of them again. "What happened?"

"Dad… it's not something we can easily talk about. We're here to see that you and the people are safe, but we're on our way to defeat Weiss and—"

"No."

Yuffie stared at her father. "I'm not a kid anymore, dad. Weiss took years from my life, and Tifa's, too, and I am not going to sit around and wait for someone else to take him down. He _needs_ to pay for what he's done," Yuffie said, nearly panting with emotion and anger.

"I don't want to lose you again," Godo murmured.

"We're at war, dad. There's no guarantee that any of us will make it, but we have to try and put a stop to that psycho. I need you to pray for me, and let me go…" Yuffie said, solemn.

Tifa slipped silently out of the cave-room when Godo pulled Yuffie into another hug that was easier for her to return. It must've been nice, to have someone you loved still alive, she mused. She had someone, too, but that person was probably unaware of who she was. Tifa stood near a rock wall and watched the children as they played without a care in the world. What she wouldn't have given to have lived another life, one where her own son would've had a happy family, a father who was alive, and where all of this destruction could've been avoided.

"He's grown, hasn't he?" Yuffie murmured, coming up behind the older brunette.

Tifa looked at the child as he stood out with his spiked, raven hair, and with those near glowing eyes. He was his father's son, and she would never regret the fact that he looked just like Zack and nothing like her. He was also quick on his feet but despite him winning in most games they played, it appeared that the other children loved him and considered him part of their families. _Just like his father,_ she thought inwardly. Outward, Tifa nodded once, looking away.

"Aren't you going to talk to him?" Yuffie asked, frowning.

"He's better off not knowing that I'm here. I don't even know if Chekov told him about me," Tifa said, moving towards the guards standing at attention nearby. She spotted the black clad man who had caught them in the forest and she approached quickly, clearing her throat to get his attention. Tifa stared impassively while the man pulled off his mask. The face that stared back at her was surprisingly familiar. Though she hadn't known him in person, she had seen pictures of him and Zack together, and had heard many stories. She had once felt like she knew the man as an intimate friend through Zack.

"Angeal," she said quietly, making his gaze snap to hers.

"Do we know each other?" he asked gruffly.

Tifa shook her head. "Not personally," she said, surprise reflected in her eyes. She and Zack had practically eloped in Nibelheim, without Zack's parents, his mentor, and even his best friend.

"Then how do you know who I am? No one but Lord Godo knows my name," he said, turning his full attention to her.

She let out a slow breath and went for the name she hadn't used since Zack's death. "My name is Tifa Lockhart… Fair."

It was his turn to look shocked, but he quickly recovered his composure, ever the perfect SOLDIER. "You were his wife," Angeal said, voice tinged with sorrow. "The child…" Things suddenly clicked into place, though he knew that he was taking giant leaps. Still, from the moment he had set eyes on the boy, he had somehow known that he was Zack's son.

"Doesn't need to know who I am," Tifa said, deathly serious and surprised that Angeal had figured it out so quickly.

"But he is Zack's, isn't he?"

Tifa inclined her head once. "Have you been watching over him?"

"Yes. He's why I stayed. I had a feeling that Zack had brought me here for a reason. Even now I cannot explain it, but upon seeing that boy—everything made a lot more sense," Angeal said, quiet. "You're his mother. Why haven't you gone to him?"

Tifa felt the inexplicable feeling to tell Angeal what was on her head. Maybe it was because Zack had felt so strongly for this man and had considered him his best friend or maybe it was to make someone else understand her reasons. "I don't think I'm going to survive this war," she started. "It's better for him to not get his hopes up only for me to die on him, too."

"Would you deny your son his mother? The chance to get to know you, even for a short time?" Angeal asked, solemn.

Tifa shook her head, forcing herself to keep from searching the boy out with her eyes. "He deserves better than what I have become, and besides, if Weiss ever gets wind of him, he'll—" she choked off, cutting off her words and thoughts because it was unbearable. Weiss would die a million painful deaths if he ever threatened her son.

Angeal understood from that point-of-view, but Zack's son deserved so much better from his own mother. Countless nights he had held the child until he had nodded off into sleep, asking about his parents, asking why his mother didn't come and visit him. Angeal hadn't known who his mother was then, and though he'd had suspicions on who his father was, he hadn't had any proof. "He needs love, and though he gets it from every person in this room, it's not the same. You may see him laughing and having fun, but he hasn't had the love of a real family for years now. How can that be fair?"

It wasn't, but she didn't say anything. Tifa swallowed hard and spotted Cloud coming from the same entrance she and Yuffie had used, followed by Nero, Vincent, and many warriors in ninja garb. "Nothing in this life is fair," she whispered. "Zack is dead, and my son has grown without me."

Angeal shook his head and felt sorry for the woman before him. It was obvious that Zack's death had taken a lot out of her, but she had been given a chance to live, and to love an amazing child. Why wasn't she taking advantage of that? "Will you at least spend some time with him?

Tifa's eyes strayed to the boy, who was now watching the newcomers curiously. His eyes were big and bright, still innocent and without the knowledge of death and destruction that was all around him. "Does he know who I am?"

"He knows you're out there fighting, but I'm not entirely sure if Chekov has told him your name or described what you look like," Angeal replied.

"I will approach him later. Right now there are more pressing matters. Is there a way out of this cave?" Tifa asked, her mind switching over to her tactician, warrior mode.

"We have two," Angeal motioned to both tunnels in the distance of the cave. "One leads into denser jungle, where the people will follow the river towards the ocean, and emergency submarines that have been hidden. The other leads to a clearing where a battle will be fought."

Tifa nodded in understanding, unable to keep her eyes from moving back to Cloud, even with Angeal standing right in front of her. Vincent and Nero approached them, and Tifa introduced her siblings, leaving Cloud for last, but apparently he didn't need an introduction.

"Angeal?" Cloud asked in a low, astounded tone.

"Strife," said Angeal, eyes wide.

"You two know each other?" Tifa asked, tone dry.

"In SOLDIER. I had begun to train him the way I had done with Zack when Strife abruptly left," Angeal said without a hint of anger or disapproval. Hell, if he'd been any younger, he would've walked out on ShinRa at that moment as well. It was just good to see that the boy that he had cared for was still alive.

"You know why I left," cloud said quietly, still deferring to Angeal as an authority figure. "If I hadn't, I would be dead, too."

Tifa managed not to flinch at his words and instead turned to watch as Yuffie stepped closer to Vincent and whispered something to him. Her brother offered the young woman a smile and his eyes followed her as she walked off. Vincent caught Tifa's small smile and he shrugged silently.

"Do you think we can get settled in so that we can talk to the Wusheng about the possibility of an imminent attack?" Cloud asked.

"We already have a plan of action. But we can brief you on it so that you can know the type of plan we will follow. I'm sure Tifa will want to know where her boy is in case we have to evacuate and flee Wutai," said Angeal.

Tifa let out a breath and looked over at Cloud, who appeared to not know what Angeal was talking about. Well, he would've found out sooner or later, she thought. But before she could come clean with another of her well guarded secrets, the boy ran past her and latched onto Angeal's leg, a big smile plastered on his cute face.

"Did you practice the exercises I showed you, boy?" Angeal asked, a fond smile on his face.

"Yep! But I want to practice like the big boys do!" he exclaimed, finally taking note of the other two people standing with his protector.

"You will be able to very soon," Angeal promised.

Cloud stared at the small boy and blinked a few times. "…Zack?" he murmured, unaware that he had even said anything. The kid of about five stared up at him with big blue eyes that were so familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before?

"How do you know my name, Mister?" the child, Zack, asked.

"Your name is really Zack?" Cloud asked, dumbfounded.

Little Zack was giving him an odd look that made his small nose scrunch a little. Then he grinned and it was so much like Zack that it made something tighten in Cloud's chest painfully. "Well—uh—my name is Cloud," he managed to say, extending his hand so that Zack could shake it.

"Woah, that's a big sword you have! Angeal-sensei! I want a sword like that one!" Zack exclaimed excitedly. When his teacher patted his head and nodded, Zack finally noticed the pretty lady watching him with sad eyes. "I'm Zack," he stated, point at his chest.

Tifa looked like she had swallowed something bitter as she nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Zack," she said, reaching for his spikes of raven hair but forcing her hand to retract.

"Why are you so sad? Angeal-sensei, make her smile!"

"I can't do that, pup. Not everyone can be happy like you," Angeal murmured, his eyes darting from Tifa to the child.

Zack pouted and marched up to Tifa, tugging on her hand so that she could lean forward. She did so and felt her breath leave her when he wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. "Angeal-sensei and Chekov hug me when I'm sad and I miss my mommy," he said, matter-of-fact. "Don't be sad anymore!" Then he smiled and ran off with a wave.

Tifa could feel something in her chest threatening to burst; something all consuming and so painful that it reminded her of the day she had lost Zack. This was not something that she wanted to feel for a second time, and especially not in front of Angeal or Cloud.

Cloud noted the panicked look in her eyes and turned to Angeal, who was giving Tifa a sympathetic look. "Can we get out of the caves?" the blond asked, grabbing Tifa's forearm.

Angeal shook his head. "We can't risk getting seen by spies. Take the second tunnel. There you will find a spring and a secluded area where no one will bother you," he instructed.

Cloud nodded his thanks and pulled Tifa's unresisting body as her eyes shimmered. He had not seen her react so emotionally in the time he had known her. She had reacted violently in many of the trying situations, including the day they had found Yuffie and when she had found out that Nero was Weiss' brother. But now, now she looked ready to burst into desperate tears. A few minutes into the long tunnel, Cloud found the spring Angeal had told him about. He turned left and found a smaller alcove where they would have some privacy.

Tifa began to pace, her breathing coming in rapid pants of breath. Her eyes were leaking tears and she practically radiated sadness and regret. "I didn't want to come to Wutai," she breathed into the small space.

"Why not?" Cloud asked, leaning back against a boulder that served as a seat.

"Too many memories," she replied, voice cracking on the last word.

The blond watched her pace and wondered why young Zack had caused such a reaction, or maybe it had been something else? "And that boy… you know who he is?"

"Didn't you see the resemblance?" Tifa asked dryly.

Cloud's eyes widened. "He's… Zack's kid?" His sluggish brain took a moment to make the next connection. "You're his mother," he stated quietly, incredulous. "How…? When…?"

Tifa roughly wiped away her own tears and moved to sit against the boulder next to Cloud. "Do you seriously not know _how_?" she asked without any bite and only a bit of sarcasm.

Cloud smirked. "You know what I meant."

When all she managed to do was stare at her hands in silence, Cloud took her gloved fingers and squeezed them between his own. "The day Nibelheim was attacked, I found I was pregnant. I managed to tell Zack before he went off to fight. He died saving us."

"Why doesn't the boy know who you are?" Cloud asked, squeezing her hand tightly when her breathing hitched.

"After leaving Nibelheim, I came here to Wutai. I met Yuffie when she was trying to pick my pocket and she realized that I had nothing. She took me into her home, took care of me and helped me when I told her about the baby. I mourned Zack while my baby grew inside me, and finally I gave birth to him in the middle of a rainy night," Tifa said evenly, as if what she was telling him was someone else's story. "He was beautiful and I immediately knew what I wanted his name to be. At first I was sad because people kept telling me he looked like me. I had hoped that he would look like Zack. And now, he couldn't look more like his father."

"How long has it been since you last saw him?" Cloud questioned.

"I was here for his first few months before I was taken by Weiss. Chekov was teaching Yuffie and me defensive moves, though Yuffie was much more advanced than I was. We heard Zack cry and Chekov left to tend to him. That's when Weiss' troops attacked. Rosso and Azul were the ones who took us and destroyed the village. For years I had thought that Chekov and my son had died too, but when I 'escaped' and I returned to Wutai, to the village we were taken from, I was taken in by the Wusheng and they took me straight to Chekov and Zack," she murmured, feeling creeping back into her tone.

"He would've been three then, right?" Cloud prompted, wanting for her to continue and still cautious that she wouldn't feel like knocking his head off. This was a completely different side to Tifa than the ones he had already been privy to, but he was glad that she had decided to trust him this way.

Tifa nodded and for the first time in a long time allowed herself to feel shame for the abandonment of her son. She had pushed it out of her mind and heart for years, putting her frustration into killing that she had made herself think that she was okay with leaving behind that innocent boy. "I was glad that he was safe and alive. I held him for the entire night, but I made a resolution to walk out of his life so that he would be safe. The following morning, I requested that the Wusheng take me in and train me. A few months later I left and I found Vincent and Nero. From then on it was nothing but killing and violence."

Cloud stared at the side of her face, inspecting the dried tear tracks, and the sadness now filling her eyes. "You never came back to see Zack?"

She turned to look at him then, her wine colored eyes swirling with old pain. "No. I hadn't seen him in two years before today."

"He's… healthy and sheltered here. You left him with good people," Cloud tried to reassure her.

Tifa looked away. "That doesn't mean that I did the right thing. I abandoned my son to make a life as a mercenary," she replied bitterly.

Cloud sighed in irritation and reached up to grab her chin and turn her gaze back to his. "You left because even as a mercenary, you fought against Weiss and his people. I can bet that one of the reasons you trained and killed was because you didn't want your kid to grow up in a wasted world. Am I right?"

Tifa absorbed his words and nodded. She had left to protect him and to avenge his father. Whether she had been getting paid or not, if she ever saw a DG soldier, she took care of him. Then she realized another thing. Was Cloud… trying to reassure her that she was a good person? She looked at him in amusement. "Are you trying to be my friend now? I thought you'd be more shocked at finding out that I'd had a son that I hadn't seen in two years."

"I _am_ shocked. I'm just good at hiding it," Cloud replied with a little grin.

Tifa let out a small laugh and only then noticed that Cloud's hand was on her thigh; a casual touch. "I thought we said we weren't friends."

"What if I changed my mind?" he questioned, giving her a sly look.

Tifa rolled her eyes and stood, following the path back to where the spring of water was. She kneeled down, pulled off her gloves, and slipped her hands into the cool water. Sighing, she cupped her hands and brought the cold liquid to her lips. It felt good, almost sweet going down her throat, and it managed to clear her mind from so many conflicting thoughts.

She felt, more than saw him kneel next to her, and she watched curiously as he slipped his hands, gloves and all, into the water. "That's not smart, you know."

"I'm not usually known for my smarts," Cloud said lightly.

His words got the reaction he had hoped for when she smiled. Her smile softened somewhat. "Being humble now so that you can win me over?"

"Possibly," Cloud replied.

Tifa stared at him for a long moment until he began to fidget and finally pulled off his damp gloves. "Why would you want to win over someone like me? I've made a career on blood and killing. I wouldn't make a good friend, or a good mother, let alone anything else," she whispered.

"I'm not the only person who sees good in you. You still have a heart, Tifa. I just think that it's been hiding under everything that has happened to you," Cloud said.

Before she could keep offering objections to his kind words, Cloud slipped a hand behind her neck and slowly pulled her closer to him, giving her ample time to pull back or shove him away. She just moved at his prompting and let her eyes watch his lips until the moment he pressed them against hers gently. Tifa closed her eyes and let it happen. Maybe Cloud was right and she was a good person underneath, but there was so much that she had pushed aside, so much that she had closed off that she didn't feel like she deserved any form of happiness anymore.

Cloud's hands framed her face as he deepened the kiss, and Tifa was the one to move forward this time. Straightening in her kneeled position, Cloud followed her and made a small sound when her hands slid up his chest and around his neck. Tifa felt them shifting, falling back so that Cloud was no longer kneeling on the hard stone, and so that she was now straddling his hips, their kiss never breaking. His hands were in her hair, which was unbound from her braid, and the locks slid around his fingers effortlessly. He tasted like apples, Tifa realized faintly, and he smelled like wilderness and leather; it was altogether a pleasant scent and taste.

His hands were trailing up her waist now, sliding underneath the material of her black shirt to skim over her smooth skin. Tifa shifted against him restlessly as her tongue swept the entirety of his mouth, inspecting every bit he would allow her before he battled her for a chance to taste her. His skin felt as if it were burning with her every touch and he was so very aware of how he was snug between her thighs. He wondered how she would react if he…

Tifa gasped and bit into Cloud's bottom lip, breaths quickening when he lifted his hips and showed her just how much he was enjoying her attentions. Sucking lightly on the sore spot she had bitten, Tifa let out a shuddering sigh when she heard echoing footsteps coming closer to where they were.

"Someone is coming," Cloud grumbled, eyes closed and his forehead pressed to hers as he tried to get his body back to normal. He didn't see it happening while Tifa's curves were pressed to his body in all the best places.

Tifa nodded and got to her feet, quickly gathering her gloves and pulling them on. She watched with a smirk as Cloud crawled over to the water and splashed his face a few times to cool down. "Get yourself under control and then get back. We need to meet with the Wusheng," Tifa said smugly.

Cloud stood and gave her a look, but before he could give her a smart-ass reply, Yuffie came upon them. She gave Tifa a suspicious look and grinned evilly. "Having a little spar you two?" she asked innocently.

Tifa winked and walked over to her. "And guess who won," she said before walking away.

Cloud glared at her retreating form and then looked at Yuffie, who had been watching him. "Yuffie—"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that Vincent and Nero don't get word of you feeling up their little sister in some secluded cave," she said before walking away.

He rolled his eyes and was thankful that at least Yuffie's presence had served to get him back to _normal._ Now all he had to do was act casual and as if nothing had gone on between him and Tifa. He knew that they were still on shaky grounds and having other people find out about their slowly budding attraction—because he still didn't think Tifa considered them friends—might push them a step back from the progress he had made.

……

She became aware of a set of small hands on her face slowly tracing her nose, and then her lips, her eyebrows, and her cheeks. Her eyes slowly opened only for her to come face to face with big blue eyes and a shock of dark hair. The child smiled and withdrew his hands and Tifa spotted an old moogle at the bend of one of his arms.

"I think I know you," the boy whispered.

Tifa reached a hand up to cup a small cheek and smiled slightly. The caves were dark, and no one else appeared to be awake just then, except maybe the ninjas on guard duty. She sat up on her cot and gave the boy a stern look. "What are you doing awake at this hour?" she asked just as quietly.

"Couldn't sleep. I see my daddy in my dreams."

Tifa felt a chill run down her spine. "Does he… tell you anything?"

Zack nodded and yawned, rubbing his tired eyes. "He tells me that my mommy will come back soon, and that she really loves me. Sometimes he sings me a lullaby."

Zack had had a terrible singing voice, Tifa remembered sadly. But he'd managed to keep in touch with their son, while she… she hadn't bothered to come see him in two years. "I'm sorry," Tifa said before she could stop herself.

"Okay," the boy said simply.

Tifa laid back in her cot and scooted over a bit, making room. "Do you… want to sleep here?"

Zack nodded and slipped into the space and against her side, effortless. Tifa tucked the blankets around him and almost hesitantly wrapped her arms around the small body, her nose being tickled by the silky spikes of hair. They were much softer than Zack's and they smelled of cherry blossoms. She rubbed his hair until the child was asleep comfortably in her arms. Tifa's eyes slowly began to slip closed, lulled by the warmth of her son, and by that empty space in her heart being filled once more.

…

She came to an hour later after a noise roused her easily. No one was running or causing a commotion, but in the distance she could hear voices. Checking to see if Zack was still asleep, Tifa slowly slipped out of bed and tucked the blankets around her son to keep him warm. She pulled on her boots and a warm cloak around her shoulders and walked towards the source of the noise.

The whispering grew only slightly stronger, but it was enough for her to tell that Angeal and Cloud were the ones who were talking. "Strife, all this secrecy is going to get you into bigger trouble. You're falling for the woman who was married to your best friend and who is also his widow and the mother of his child. Tell her what you know."

"Why? So that she can hate me more? We've made progress, Angeal, and if I tell her now, she'll probably beat me to a bloody pulp," Cloud's deep, exasperated voice replied. "More animosity between us is the last thing we need right now. She's the key to ending all of this."

"She was Zack's wife, and you have no right to keep this from her," Angeal said darkly.

"I know what I'm doing, Angeal."

"Do you?" Tifa asked, finally making herself known to the two men.

Two sets of blue eyes snapped in her direction and Cloud quickly looked away. Tifa stepped further into the room and crossed her arms over her chest. "You've been keeping something from me and I want to know what it is."

"It's not important," Cloud muttered.

Angeal glared at him before turning to Tifa. "It's not something that will be easy to hear," he said quietly.

Tifa shrugged and stared down at her boots. "My life hasn't been easy in a long time. Just tell me and get it over with," she said with a heavy sigh.

Angeal looked at Cloud briefly before turning back to Tifa. "When Nibelheim was attacked, you assumed that Zack had died in the blast, didn't you?"

There was sick feeling growing in her stomach, but Tifa simply nodded. "He had been shot multiple times, and finally the town went up in flames," she murmured, the images burned vividly into her memory.

"I'll tell her," Cloud said, coming forward, face to face with Tifa. He gave her a long look and then let out a sigh. "I was still in SOLDIER when we arrived at Nibelheim an hour after the attack. We found Zack…"

Tifa could feel her heart fracturing even more at Cloud's words. Zack had been alive? And she had just left him there?! "What are you saying?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"He was badly hurt, but he wasn't dead. He was transported to Junon—which had been our base at the moment—and he was treated there," Cloud said. Her eyes were burning with anger again and Cloud could practically see the truce they had been in going up in smoke. "He only lived for a day, but he was in too much pain and his body had taken too much damage. We buried him in Junon."

The dreaded tears were back, but Tifa refused to look away from Cloud's sky blue eyes. A part of her mourned the fact that she had lost the little trust she had given him, but another part—the young girl inside—mourned the fact that Zack had a grave that she hadn't known about even more. "And you thought this wouldn't be important to me?" she asked slowly.

"No, Tifa that's not—"

Tifa shook her head and turned, walking away from him. She couldn't deal with him so early in the morning. Though her natural reaction had been to punch him, something had held her back this time. Damn it, she had known that letting him get close would be a bad idea. She flinched away when she felt Cloud grab her hand and spin her around.

"Tifa, please listen."

She twisted her arm away from his grip. "Anything… _anything_ concerning Zack is important to me."

"Yeah, the same way your son has been important enough for you to abandon him?" Cloud bit back derisively. It was a low blow and he regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth, but it was too late. Her eyes seemed to frost over, like two hard, glittering rubies. He had expected the hit, but he had to admit that it hurt more than he let on. Pain exploded all over the left side of his face and forced him back a few steps.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave me alone," she said, storming away and back to her cot.

"I'm sorry," Cloud's soft voice echoed in the cave, but he didn't think Tifa heard him, and if she did, she chose to ignore him. It would take something drastic to get her to trust him again, and it hurt to know that he had ruined something important. Angeal was right though, when he said that he was falling for his best friend's wife. Maybe it was for the best to let things die between them now, before it was too late and his heart was in it. A small voice in the back of his head whispered that it already was.

…

…

…

…

…

Well, at least she didn't overreact too much, right? Not to worry though, they'll get this all out in the open soon enough. More action starts next chapter, and we'll see if Angeal has news on Genesis or Sephiroth. Cloud and Tifa have a long way to go still, but hopefully next chapter will have them kiss and make up. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Valk, I hope this story cheered you up even a little. Take care everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, it's been a while since I updated this baby, but I finally have a new chapter for you! Apologies though, because there's very little action, but we do move forward and get more info on the characters. The _action_ starts next chapter! This chapter was written to Staind's, _"Outside," _and even though the whole song doesn't apply to the chapter, there are small parts that greatly influenced it.

Also, please check out the fic that ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie is writing for me, _"Fill My Blank Page." _It's a ZackTifa fic, and it's being written in response to this one; it's also great. _And_, for those of you who like making graphics and/or icons, check out the _Cloud Awards, _which is a contest community for icons made specifically for Cloud. More members are welcome, so if you're interested check out the link in my bio page!

Special thanks to: JS, ivalice-italics, Varanus, mom calling, Valk, myrthill, broken maelstrom, kohryu, cloudlover2989, shinobinaraku, SpashInc, vLuna, Poloesque. Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm sorry it's been a long time since I replied. School and writing are kind of stealing away my time.

_Warnings: None._

………………………………

**Coming Undone**

………………………………

Vincent could tell that something had happened between Cloud and Tifa—something bad—but he was smart enough to keep quiet about it. As he sat near a fire, where the food for all the people in the cave was being cooked, he watched curiously as the children pulled Yuffie into a circle where they linked hands. They were all giggling and prompting Yuffie with their song, but the former ninja just smiled and swayed with them, but she didn't sing.

On the other side of the cave, Chekov, the woman who had cared for Zack since Tifa had been taken, was giving her a very thorough lecture, and Tifa was enduring it. Vincent imagined that his sister felt Chekov was like a second mother to her and the true mother of Zack, since she had been around when Tifa hadn't, and that was why she wasn't talking back or walking away.

"What's your story?" Cloud asked, coming to sit across from him, a bottle of sake in his hands. "You don't talk about yourself and obviously I can't ask Tifa anymore."

"What did you expect? Zack's death affected Tifa a great deal. It was a shock for her to realize that he hadn't died in Nibelheim. She blamed herself for leaving him to die there, but to find out that he had survived…"

"I know, but even if she doesn't believe me, I was trying to avoid causing her more sadness," Cloud muttered before taking a swig from the alcohol.

"Nibelheim was our home, but it's tainted for Tifa since the attack on the village. Knowing Zack had a proper burial and resting place would've lightened her burden," Vincent replied.

Cloud nodded once and took another sip. "I don't know how to make it right, now."

"Talk it out—or well, fight it out. Tifa is a good person, she just seems to forget it every once in a while. She'll need a way to get her aggression out. Then, all you have to do is apologize," said Vincent calmly.

The blond let out a long sigh and nodded. "If she'll let me get within five feet of her."

Vincent merely shrugged and allowed his eyes to shift back to Yuffie, who now had an open smile on her face. "I left Nibelheim at around the time Tifa met Zack. She was fourteen-going-on-fifteen, and I trusted that she and my father would be okay if I left to explore the world. Weiss was battling ShinRa and the WRO then, but I wanted to see how bad it was. I went to Midgar," he started after a moment of silence.

"I met a woman there who was a few years older than I, and I attempted to pursue her. But she was a woman with mistakes weighing down on her shoulders; she denied me many times. Finally, when I got through to her, we would meet in the same bar every other day. She slowly opened up to me, but she never truly loved me. I found out later on why she was so burdened," Vincent trailed off.

"What was her name?" Cloud asked.

"Lucrecia Crescent."

Lucrecia… as in Hojo's wife?" Cloud questioned flatly.

"I see you're aware of who she is," said Vincent quietly.

"Well shit. Everyone knows who she is! She was the one who perfected the mako injections SOLDIERs had to receive while in the program. What happened to her?"

Vincent let out a mournful sigh. "Hojo killed her before he disappeared into Deepground. I searched high and low for him but he eluded me for a long time. In the end, my sister was the one who took care of him."

"Do you resent her for that?" Cloud asked, offering the bottle of alcohol.

He shook his head, but accepted the bottle. "He hurt Tifa more than he hurt me. Tifa is family, while Lucrecia never took me seriously."

Cloud's eyes darted over to the subject of their conversation and he watched her as she stood at the edge of the group of children going through their training exercises. He got to his feet and wondered about what he'd been drinking when his vision tilted slightly. "Powerful stuff," he muttered.

"Maybe you should walk it off," Vincent commented before Cloud was out of earshot.

He shrugged off the comment and approached the area Tifa was standing in, watching her like a predatory cat. "Can we talk?" he asked, voice low.

Tifa ignored him and stepped forward to correct the stance of one of the younger boys. "You're drunk."

"There's no rule against it," Cloud snarked.

"It's morning," Tifa said snidely.

"Why do _you_ care?" Cloud asked, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a look.

Instead of replying, Tifa turned away from him and moved closer to the children. She continued to watch them finish off their exercises, but she was all too aware of Cloud's eyes on her, watching _her_ intently. She'd always hated drunks, and she didn't know how to shake Cloud off without resorting to violence in front of the children.

"Do you know how to fight?" one boy asked her in Wutain.

Tifa nodded and offered a tiny smile as she replied; she remembered the language quite clearly. "I do."

"Really?" asked another boy, a grin on his face. "What kind of fighting?"

"Can you use a sword?"

"And pressure points?"

"What about Sais?"

The questions seemed endless, and now all the small bodies were crowding around her, including her son. It was overwhelming to be surrounded by so much innocence when she had so much blood and death on her hands, but Tifa couldn't deny that it made her heart lighten to see how happy and carefree they had grown up with the war looming just outside the caves.

"How about a demonstration?" Cloud started, his Wutain nearly as impeccable as hers.

Tifa nearly pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head when the kids started to cheer. "You're drunk and it won't be a fair fight."

Cloud let out a cough that was half laugh. "Of course it's not. I can handle myself even while drunk." There was a tapping of wood on stone and Tifa turned to see Yuffie handing over two wooden staffs to Cloud and another two for her.

Tifa took them almost mechanically and glared at Yuffie before turning to Cloud. "Thank Yuffie for the beating you're going to receive," she snapped.

Cloud smirked and whirled the staffs with surprising ease in his intoxicated condition. Tifa narrowed her eyes and wondered if he was faking it. "My body burns off alcohol much faster than normal," he explained, watching Tifa as she pulled off the tunic shirt she had been wearing, leaving her in nothing but a tank-top that rode up with any movement of her upper body. He need to focus on the battle and not on her body, he mused.

Fighting her again would much more interesting this time, since they'd be using a technique and not an all out street brawl; he supposed Tifa would assume that he didn't know anything about martial arts. She was good, he would admit, but she didn't know _him._ Besides, he was itching for a good work out.

While he'd been spacing out, she attacked, going in with the staffs and slamming one into his stomach, and the other behind his knees, toppling him to the floor. "That was a low blow," he gasped out, hand on his abdomen.

Tifa smirked and twirled the staffs faster than she had seen Cloud do. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."

He jumped up quickly and let out a long breath before darting forward and jabbing her in the side and in the back before she had a chance to block. She grunted with the impacts of his attack and fell back a few steps before surging forward. Their staffs clashed loudly as Cloud finally stopped playing the drunkard and proved to Tifa just how good he could be. For her part, Tifa was good at evading his attacks but she was having a rougher time getting a hit this time. Their first fight had been hindered by water and she'd been out for blood, but this time Cloud seemed to have the upper hand. Swiping in a wide arc, he quickly dodged under so that the staff just barely skimmed his hair, and he turned quickly, attacking and forcing her to defend unless she wanted to get hit in the chest or stomach.

Cloud seemed to weave through each of her swipes, and he could see the beginnings of frustration in Tifa's eyes when another of her best moves was sidestepped with ease. Aiming for his face, Cloud intercepted her right hand with his staffs, but failed to take into consideration her other hand, which slammed into his knuckles and made him drop one of his staffs and forced him off balance when she shoved into him. Her next hit was in the middle of his back and it hurt far more than he would've imagined.

She began to lift her leg to kick him down, but he did anticipate that move and grabbed her ankle, pulling and sending her to the floor in a split. While he was admiring her flexibility, her other leg came around and hit him right behind the knees, forcing him down next to her, and where her next kick hit him in the stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs for a second time.

Rolling quickly, she straddled his waist and pressed one of her staffs into his neck, forcing him to lay back on the floor or cut off his own air. "This wasn't much of a fight. You were holding back," she hissed.

Cloud stared up at her, sweat matted bangs pressed against forehead and cheeks, her chest heaving, and with her sitting very close to a spot that always seemed to be happy when she was around; she made quite an image. "I don't think this show is appropriate for children anymore." The staff pressed harder to his neck and he choked a little. "…joking," he wheezed.

"You should be happy that I have witnesses, otherwise no one would _ever_ find your body," Tifa hissed, getting to her feet when the patter of small feet reached her and the children began approach in excitement.

Cloud stood, rubbing his neck, and glared at the back of her head. Grabbing her elbow, he turned her around and ignored the irritated look on her face. "I need a sparring partner and you're the only person I know who can help me get better. I promise that if you help me, I won't hold back."

She eyed him for a moment and then shrugged. "I'll think about it," she said, turning back to smile when her son tugged on her hand to get her attention.

It was good to see her let down those walls when the child was around because it meant that Tifa's heart was still there. What more proof did he need? He had gotten her to fight him and that was a step forward, despite it being a painful one, and she was talking to him as well. Ignoring the smirk on Nero's face as he passed him, Cloud opened and closed his throbbing hand and went to see if anyone could give him some ointment or at least a bandage.

A long while later, Cloud sat alone on his cot, wrapping his bruised hand with some gauze Yuffie had brought over for him. Staring down at the purplish-green skin, he let out a heavy sigh, considering what his next step to get closer to her would be.

"Why is she so mad?"

Blue eyes snapped up and settled on the child who had just successfully snuck up on him. "I don't know, Zack. I guess she's been hurt so many times that it's easier to be angry than happy."

The boy looked slightly confused but invited himself to sit next to Cloud. "Will you teach me to fight like you?"

A smile curled at Cloud's lips. "Maybe when you get a little older. Besides, don't you want Angeal to show you?"

"Sensei still thinks I'm a baby," muttered Zack in annoyance, narrowing his eyes.

"You're not a baby," Cloud said, watching as Zack's face brightened. "You're not so big, either." A small scowl took place. "But you're getting there, and you know what? I bet that when you're older, you'll be even better than me _and_ your dad."

"You knew my dad, too?" Zack asked excitedly, jumping to his feet with a grin.

_It's like I have him right in front of me, _Cloud thought inwardly. There was some of Tifa definitely in there, but not so much. If he could've at least seen Tifa smile—an honest smile—just once, then maybe he could've compared, but right now, all Cloud could see was his old friend in the boy standing before him. "I worked with your dad for a few years. He was my best friend and like a brother to me," Cloud confessed.

Zack sat down again. "Did he have a sword like yours?"

"Yeah. I think Angeal gave him the buster sword when he became a SOLDIER First Class," said Cloud, eyes distant.

"SOLDIERs worked in ShinRa… the people breaking the planet?" asked Zack quietly.

Cloud couldn't comprehend how a child so young could know so much, but he nodded, hesitant. "See, your dad and I made a lot of bad choices, but we tried to get out and away from ShinRa. Your dad had been trying to get out to be with your mom, but it was taking a lot longer than he had thought."

Zack's blue eyes stared at him in wonder. "Was I in my mommy's stomach already?"

Cloud didn't know that part of the story. "I don't know, kiddo. Your dad and I stopped talking to each other for a while because we went our separate ways," he admitted, rubbing a hand over his bruised knuckles. "But I do know that he would've been so glad to meet you."

The boy bounced on his feet in happiness. "Do you know my mommy? Where she is?"

The question froze him, and it took Cloud a moment to see that Tifa had been about to step into his cave-room when the boy had asked him the question. She looked like she was on the verge of bolting, but she remained glued to the ground, face pale.

"I know her," Cloud responded quietly, staring at Tifa. He had never seen anything resembling a plea on her face, but her eyes were alive with pain and so much regret that it was hard to keep her gaze. "She's a beautiful woman, and I know for a fact that she loves you."

Zack let out a long sigh. "But… but why hasn't she come to see me?"

Tifa's head lowered in shame at his question, and her lips parted to just blurt out the truth to her son, but Cloud gave a short shake of his head and beat her to it. "Your mom will come; don't ever doubt that. I—I think that maybe she lost her way. She'll soon find it, Zack. Believe me," Cloud said, watching Tifa turn, expression troubled as she walked away.

"Promise?" Zack asked after a moment, little hands clenching on the material of his training gi.

Cloud rubbed the dark spikes of hair and nodded. "Promise. I've met her, and I _know_ that she never meant to hurt you and leave you for so long. She's been fighting and she wants to make this a better world for you to live in."

"Okay," muttered the boy as he got to his feet. "Will you show me your sword?"

Cloud hid a grin and nodded. "Come on. Let's go get something to drink first and then I'll show you." He wondered where Tifa had headed off to and what was on her mind after she had heard his words to her son. Little Zack needed someone to keep him company and if his own mother didn't feel capable of doing it, then he would. Besides, it healed a little of his aching heart to know that Zack's memory would live on through his son.

……

"What's on your mind?"

Tifa looked up and managed a half-smile as her best friend approached her. "My son. I walked in on him asking Cloud if he knew me and why I hadn't visited him."

"What did Cloud say?" Yuffie asked, walking over to sit on Tifa's cot.

Tifa noticed her pale complexion right away. "Are you feeling sick? You've been getting better these past few days," she said, moving to press her hand against Yuffie's forehead.

"I'm fine," Yuffie nearly hissed, swatting her hand away. "I'm feeling a little antsy, being cooped up in here. I can't train, I can't shine my own weapon. I don't know what I'm going to do when Godo finds out that I can't handle my own shuriken."

Tifa sighed and walked over to the thick black leather securing her weapons. Slowly pulling out a small blade, she stepped towards Yuffie, not missing the flinch and the way her body tensed. "I'm going to slowly hand it to you, okay? I want you to try and hold it, or at least touch it."

"Tifa," Yuffie started, shutting her eyes against the phantom pain of scalpels cutting into her skin. "I know you're trying to help—" Her breathing was beginning to become uneven.

"I know it's something selfish to say, but I _need_ you to be able to fight, Yuffie, because if I die, you will be the one person I will want to help raise my boy," Tifa murmured, voice sure. "It has to be you."

Forcing her eyes to open, Yuffie let out a choked gasp when her hand slid over the sharp metal of the blade, but that was as far as she could get. "We've been through the same things… why is it that your reaction is different than mine?" she asked, angry tears blurring her vision.

Tifa put the blade away and walked back to squeeze Yuffie's shoulder. "No one copes the same way, Yuffs. Your body is healing, but your mind is going to take a little longer. I'm not as okay as you see me. I'm—I don't even know. I shove people away; my life is bleak and cold and I can't force myself to accept anyone's help."

"Are you talking about Cloud, now?" Yuffie asked, rubbing her tears away.

"I'm talking about everyone," Tifa muttered. "I know I should take advantage of the time I'm being given with my son, but I can't. It scares me that I won't be able to leave him again, and I have to. We need to put an end to all of this because we all know Weiss will _never_ let us have peace. I refuse to let my son die at the hands of that man when we can be out there fighting and winning this war."

Yuffie nodded in understanding. "What's next on our front?"

"We continue to take out the reactors," Tifa said immediately. "We cut off his source of power. Eventually we'll have to sneak into his territory to take out reactor zero or lure him out into a fight. The day is coming, Yuffie, and we need to be prepared."

Yuffie's face brightened slightly. "You know, Staniv has his inks with him. We can get some symbols painted on."

"Like old times?" Tifa asked. There had been times when she and Yuffie had painted each other's wrists or backs, but the true process was far more painful than simple, washable paints. The ink was heated to last longer, and at first contact with skin it nearly burned.

Yuffie got to her feet and nodded. "I'm thinking of getting Leviathan painted onto the inside of my wrist."

Tifa nodded. "Show me when it's done. I'll have to think about what to get myself."

The former ninja princess turned to her before she was fully out of the small alcove. "You're not alone, you know. You have me, Vincent, and of course Nero. Cloud strikes me as a guy who won't give up, so think about opening just a sliver of your heart to let him in. No matter what you think, Tifa, you aren't heartless," she said before walking away.

Tifa felt conflicted. She _wanted_ to let some of her anger and pain go, but she just didn't know how. Cloud had proved to her that he was resilient, but even he would tire of her sour attitude and violent tendencies eventually. It was easier to shut him out rather than let him in and lose him later on. She wouldn't lose anymore people she cared about.

…………

He knew it would've been for the best to leave Tifa in peace, but he couldn't. The last time they had fought, she had come to him to apologize, and now he wanted to assure himself that Tifa wasn't still traveling the road towards undying hatred for him.

When he finally found her, it was to catch another glimpse of her naked back and to see heated ink and a stone utensil being used to write Wutain symbols down her shoulder blade in a vertical line. Approaching the man who was writing over her skin, he watched curiously and admired the precision and skill it took to make each symbol straight and equally proportioned.

"What does it say?" he asked, standing at Tifa's side and making sure not to block the light.

"_I will not break,"_ Tifa muttered.

"Then I'll get one on my opposite shoulder blade," Cloud said, kneeling in front of her so that their eyes could meet.

Tifa's eyes narrowed at his close proximity and at the fact that she felt half-naked with her back so exposed. "And what will yours say?"

"_I will endure," _Cloud replied, holding her gaze, steady.

"Why?" she asked, looking away from the intensity of his so blue eyes.

His lips quirked at the side. "Because _endurance_ is what I need to stay by your side. You are the world's most difficult woman, and I can understand why. But I'm not going to walk away, Tifa, no matter how many times we get into physical fights. I will stick around."

"Again, why?" she asked, voice rough. "I don't think I can offer you anymore than an occasional fight." Her voice was sarcastic, but there was something vulnerable in her gaze.

Leaning forward, ignoring the man working on the marks on her back, Cloud skimmed her lips lightly. Her breath shuddered against him, and he bit back a grin at her reaction. "I think… that there are a few things we can offer each other, aside from a fight."

Her eyes were a shade of glittering rubies now, interested but at the same time sharp at what he was proposing. "And you'd be fine with just that? I don't want a relationship, or any strings attached to this."

"I don't either," Cloud replied, and he found that he meant it. He wanted to be there for Tifa, to help her cope with her situation, and even when he felt the stirrings of something that could be love, he understood that both he and Tifa were too damaged for that right in that moment. They had to take whatever they were being given to survive.

The man working the symbols on Tifa's back cleared his throat and eased away before saying something. Tifa nodded and replied before getting to her feet, her shirt still covering her most important bits. "You're next," Tifa said, aware of how Cloud's eyes trailed over her bare neck and shoulders.

He made a noise of agreement and pulled off his shirt, smirking when her eyes gave him a quick perusal before she turned to go. Once he was seated in the chair she had vacated, back to her, he heard her voice. "Thank you."

"For what?" Cloud asked, puzzled.

"For what you said to Zack," Tifa said before she completely disappeared through the darkness of the alcove's entry way.

"Pretty girl," muttered the man who would paint the symbols for him, too.

"She is," Cloud conceded.

"But so many scars; it makes me sad to see what she went through in so few years. Take care of her."

"I'll take care of her as much as she'll allow me," Cloud said, voice light.

"Now then, this will sting a little."

Cloud nearly scoffed but refrained from doing so. Was there anything left in his life that wasn't painful?

……

He had been tossing and turning for hours now and Cloud couldn't figure out why he was so restless. Shoving off the thick blanket that usually served well to ward off the chill of the caves, Cloud got to his feet. After pulling on an old hooded sweater and his boots, he walked out of the small space he had been using as a room. He forced his feet to stop when he realized that he had been heading toward Tifa's side of the cave.

"She left the caves about ten minutes ago," Angeal's voice nearly made him jump.

"What are you doing up?" Cloud asked, eyeing the man who was leaning against the closest wall of the cave and in deep shadows.

"The boy made me walk him over here about an hour ago. I think Tifa had a nightmare because she tucked him in and walked out. I stayed to guard over him," Angeal replied with a heavy sigh.

"Zack has been coming over to sleep with Tifa?" Cloud asked, curious.

Angeal nodded. "I believe that despite the distance she has been trying to put between them, the pup can somehow sense the connection."

Cloud hesitated because he could hear the weariness in Angeal's tone. "I can watch over him if you want to get some sleep."

"At this moment Tifa may need you more. You have to make sure that she doesn't leave any visible tracks for any spies to find us," the ex-SOLDIER replied. The blond nodded and stopped by to pick up his sword before leaving the cave.

Tifa had done a perfectly fine job at hiding her own tracks, and gazing up, he wondered if she'd taken a path through the trees. Standing in the silence of another of the few jungles left in the world, he listened. Past the sounds of the wind, of branches rustling, and cicadas in the far distance, his ears picked up the sound of water. Taking to the trees himself, Cloud jumped from branch to branch, landing with the grace of a jungle cat, and just as silent.

He found her within minutes, standing in the open and near the running water. Her katanas were in her hands and she was practicing a specific exercise with the sharp blades, wrists rotating and sweeping through air easily. Her arms flexed and her breathing came steady and practiced, but Cloud's attention was on the way her face reflected her concentration.

She was a beautiful woman, he had already settled that, but there was something about her deadliness that made his breathing quicken. She was fierce and protective of those she held dear to her heart and she would stop at nothing to keep them safe. Letting his sharp eyes wander up from her thighs and hips, he took note of her hair being pulled back in a braid once more, with strands stuck to her jaw and forehead as her workout made her sweat.

"Are you going to stand in the shadows all night or will you come down here?"

Cloud scowled to himself at being discovered so easily and jumped out of the tree, landing nimbly on the soft earth. "How did you—"

"Your hair reflects the moonlight in a very obvious way," Tifa interrupted, twirling her weapons once before easily slipping them into their sheaths. She stood there and watched him for a moment. "Why are you out here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were safe," Cloud said, honest.

"You thought I'd be kidnapped so easily, huh?" she asked, walking to the edge of the small lake. She scooped up water in her hands first to drink and then to wash her face. When she finally stood and turned, she nearly stepped back and right into the water when she realized that Cloud was standing close. She hadn't even heard him move. "What are you doing?"

Cloud shrugged, watching the water droplets trailing down her jaw. "You're no damsel in distress, and I know for a fact that you can defend yourself."

She made a small noise of assent and pushed her damp hair out of her eyes. "Your point?"

"I followed you here so that I could be alone with you. There are a lot of things left unsaid between us. I honestly didn't mean to keep secrets from you," Cloud replied. "It just… happened."

Her gaze left his as an annoyed sigh left her. "Is there anything else that I should know and that you've kept to yourself until now?"

Gloved fingers turned her chin so that their eyes could meet. "Well, there's the fact that I want you. Far more than I should, and I would consider that a secret; until now."

Against herself, Tifa's lips quirked. "Are you sure you know what you're asking for?"

"I've never been one to consider consequences," Cloud said, beginning to remove his sword holster.

"Good," Tifa said with a nod, and it was the only warning he got before her lips crashed against his.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Bad place to end, but I'm just that evil. :) Valk, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was slow. Everyone else, have a great week and thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

It's been a while since I updated this baby and I have to admit that I'm not too happy with this chapter. Valk, I'm sorry if it's not the best, but maybe I'll find something to change later on. Even though I'm not too happy, this chapter will bring about a few changes for the chapters to come, so I hope you all enjoy it.

This chapter was inspired by the_ Song for the Broken _by Barlow Girl, which is a pretty sad song, but should help understand Tifa's frame of mind. I really want to thank those of you who reviewed. You just have to know that it makes me happy to know that you're enjoying my writing, so you have my gratitude.

_Warnings: Sex, and talk of rape and torture.(Not at the same time, though)… please read with caution._

…

**Coming Undone**

…

Their mingling breaths were coming in rough gasps against each other, and her fingers were working on his belt but the whole thing felt rushed. He wanted to touch her and kiss as much of her as she allowed him, but from the moment their lips had crashed together she had taken control. There was something almost violent about her touch, and something in Cloud ached at the thought that maybe she was this way because of what Weiss had done to her…

"Wait," he grunted, grabbing her hands as one started to lower his zipper. "Tifa… are you sure that this is what you want? I don't expect us to proclaim love to each other after this, but we're taking a big step."

Tifa rolled her eyes as she pulled off her gloves and dropped them onto a patch of grass by their feet. "I'm going to give you exactly ten seconds to decide if you want this or not, before I walk away."

_And I'll never get this chance again,_ he told himself inwardly. Of course he wanted this, but he wondered just how different things would be between them afterward. What if the sex ruined what they had built? What if Tifa decided to leave and never come back? Damn it, sleeping with a woman wasn't supposed to be this difficult…

Instead of saying anything else, he leaned forward to kiss her, lips and tongue searching, taking, tasting her mouth. His hands slid from the middle of her back, down, smoothing over the special spandex she used for fighting. Her ass was firm and round, perfect for his grip as he pulled their lower bodies closer. He bit back a groan when he rubbed against the apex of her thighs, pressing her against a large boulder near the water.

Though it wasn't the best place for them to get busy, Tifa knew that they had a limited amount of time before someone came looking for them. At times like these, they wouldn't be granted too long to have a private moment. The world was in shambles and they needed to save it, but that didn't mean that everything else needed to be ignored.

Her fingers resumed in undoing his belt and Tifa almost stopped Cloud this time when his hands undid the ties of her tunic shirt and parted it at the front. His gloved fingers slid over the scars marring her stomach and sides, before his eyes raised to hers. She was silent for a beat, waiting for his reaction, but Cloud said nothing and pushed her further up the rock. His lips lowered to her stomach and kissed whatever scar he came into contact with. Tifa gasped and wrapped one hand around his head as he moved up. His hands pushed her bra away from her skin to uncover her breasts for his lips and teeth.

Her breathing was uneven when his lips sealed over her right nipple and tugged. Her head fell back in a quiet gasp and her eyes slid closed when one hand moved to pull at her pants. Reluctantly sitting up, Tifa made quick work of her boots and watched through half-lidded eyes as Cloud undid his own pants and paused before shoving them down to look at her. She wasn't completely naked, because she still had on her tunic shirt parted at the middle, and her sports bra shoved above her breasts, but she was beautiful.

He captured her lips in a kiss and pulled her into his arms, hands sliding over skin desperately. Tifa didn't break their lip lock as she pushed his undergarment down his hips and to his knees. "Hurry," she whispered, nibbling his bottom lip.

Cloud would've enjoyed taking his time with Tifa, but… he groaned, her legs were around his hips now and there was an urgency in the both of them that had nothing to do with being discovered. With seeking fingers he made sure that she was ready for him and he grunted when he discovered slick walls and needy noises from lips that had up until now only spewed insults at him. Kissing her hotly again, he positioned his body at the perfect angle to slide into her slowly, so that she could feel and enjoy every inch.

Tifa choked back a loud moan and slid her hands up his back and to his shoulders to pull him close. She was full of him, his body, his scent, his breathing. Everything surrounded her and made her shiver in anticipation. Then he was moving and her every thought went out the window with friction and heat, and a pleasure she had denied herself for a long time.

She'd had men after what she had been through with Weiss, but it had been to prove to herself that she wasn't broken in body and mind. Nothing and no one would ever compare to Zack, but she wasn't looking to do that with Cloud. He was different than Zack, and it was something that she was willing to enjoy.

It meant that she didn't need to think of Zack at every waking moment, and that it would be okay to find solace in another man. Cloud was fierce, sarcastic, and brave, and he always, _always_ came back to her, even before they had tried to be friends. Any other man would've given up on being her, but Cloud was still there, and now he was sharing this with her.

In the dead of night, with the moon and stars in the dark sky, all that could be heard was the sound of their bodies coming together and their breaths mingling with the breeze. His mouth was on her neck, sucking and biting whenever she shifted even a little against him, her hips moving to take him even deeper inside her. One of her hands moved low to brush over his hips, and as they slid over a particularly sensitive spot, Cloud groaned and moved to grip her wrist tightly, pulling it behind her back.

"Cloud—don't," she growled against his neck, tensing against his chest and tugging at her wrist.

"Why?" he asked, not releasing her, and grabbing her other wrist when she moved to grab the arm keeping her wrist prisoner behind her back.

His thrusts faltered in their rhythm until he could stop, releasing her wrists when she began to tug with more force. "What's wrong?" Cloud murmured against her damp jaw.

"Just… my hands. Don't grab them like that… please," Tifa said, keeping her face against his shoulder. Her chest was still moving quickly with her every breath, and her body wanted more, but Cloud wasn't budging. "Cloud," she growled against his throat, teeth nipping at the spot between shoulder and neck. He shuddered against her and hoping she hadn't ruined the mood, she shifted her hips against his and felt him resume his quick movements.

Tifa could feel her body begin to tingle, starting from the point where they were joined to the tips of her toes and fingers. The pleasure was beginning to mount when he stopped and pulled out of her, his lips seeking hers. "What—?"

"Is it okay if I turn you around?" Cloud whispered hotly against her throat, planting more kisses there.

"Yeah," Tifa muttered, her blood still hot and coursing through her body at the denied pleasure. She stood and allowed Cloud to turn her and plant her hands against the rock so that she was bent slightly at the waist. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her back, his hardness filling her at a different angle this time. Tifa shuddered in pleasure at the change and leaned her head back when Cloud pressed his chest to her back, so that her head hit his shoulder.

He moved one hand to press close to hers, but not gripping the way he had done before, and began to move. The roaring haze of pleasure returned with a vengeance, blurring her vision with every jab of his hips against hers. His free hand moved to squeeze gently at her breasts, rolling her nipple between thumb and forefinger, while his lips nuzzled her neck and jaw before taking her earlobe between his teeth and sucking.

Tifa arched her back and couldn't contain her moans any longer, though she kept in mind to not actually be too loud. But then his fingers were between her thighs and they were rubbing her in a way that had her falling over that pleasurable edge that was near painful. She cried out his name as her walls pulsed around him, and Cloud allowed his body to be pulled away by hers as he shuddered and jerked as he came, her name being ripped from his throat.

Neither of them paid much attention to the rustling of trees nearby.

…

He sat on the edge of the clear water and watched her as she silently washed the sweat off her body. She had been quiet from the moment their encounter had ended, and Cloud wondered if she felt awkward or angry over their intimate moment. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but he knew better than to pry with Tifa.

"I didn't mean to overreact," she said after a few more minutes had passed, her back turned to him and her hair floating in the water.

"We're new to each other, so we'll have time to learn," Cloud said, shrugging one shoulder.

She give him a side glance then and smirked faintly. "Don't you want to know why I reacted that way?"

"Only if you want to tell me," he replied, ruffling his own damp hair after his quick dip.

"It has to do with Weiss," she said, walking out of the water in all her nude, beautiful glory. Cloud had to avert his eyes from the way the water slid down her pale skin, so tantalizing. They honestly didn't have time for another go. "It's not something I've ever told anyone else. Not even Yuffie, but you… you're different."

Cloud looked mildly amused. "Because we're lovers now?"

"Maybe you should let me talk before you decide you want to get even more involved with me," she warned, pulling on all her clothing with the exception of her tunic shirt.

"If it's something that hurts you to talk about, I don't want you to force yourself," he said, blue eyes solemn in the dark. Getting to his feet, he approached Tifa and brushed her dripping bangs away from her eyes. "I _will_ listen," Cloud assured her.

Tifa nodded and sighed. "Maybe we should return. I'll tell you once we dry off," she said, looking around the clearing and making sure to take the precautions to erase any tracks they may have left.

Taking to the trees, it only took them minutes to return to the caves and to Tifa's cot, where Zack was still sleeping peacefully. Grabbing an extra blanket, Tifa sat a distance away from her son and patted the place next to her for Cloud to sit with her and gather warmth.

He accepted her invitation and pulled the blanket around the both of them, instantly feeling the relief from the near freezing temperature of the caves. "I have certain… traumas from my time at Weiss' hands," she muttered, staring at the dark spikes of her son's hair. "He had some sort of fixation with me, even when I knew that he had more lovers.

"I think it was because I never gave up fighting him, even when he forced himself on me. There were times when… when he would return from a massacre, covered in blood and he would take me until I was just as covered in it as he was. When I would try to fight him off, he would bind my hands. Sometimes he would cut me just to see me bleed, or he'd be rough enough that it would make _me_ bleed."

He was thankful that she didn't shove away his touch when he wrapped his hand around one of hers; for some reason he knew that more touch than that would be bad. "You don't need to relive this," he murmured.

Tifa shrugged and looked at him. "You don't need to listen, but you're still here." She drew in a long breath and slowly released it. "When he considered that I'd been bad, he—he would tie me or handcuff me to anything that passed his fancy. I hated that more than anything else because it made me feel even more like a prisoner, and… and it reminded me of being confined while Hojo tried some of his other experiments on me. Weiss believed that it was a good form of punishment and sent me off to Hojo a few times a week.

"I'm not afraid of being touched by you, but being restrained is what brings back all the horrid memories," she murmured, voice slightly detached.

"And all the scars…" he asked, fingers finding the inside of her wrists.

"I didn't think you had noticed those; I'm always wearing gloves," she said quietly, guilty.

He swallowed hard, feeling numb at the knowledge that she had attempted to end her life. There was more than one scar on each wrist. "They brought you back?"

Tifa nodded once and stared at the lint on the blanket around them. "Weiss made sure to keep sharp things far away from me for a time. The three times I tried, he had Hojo heal me and Weiss… punished me each time. There was always pain, and his abuse, in more ways than one. The third time I tried, he broke my wrists."

Cloud flinched at her words and touched her wrists lightly. "It may not mean much, but I'm sorry you went through all of this," he whispered, kissing her temple.

Tifa didn't push him away, but she nodded and took in his words. "After that, I stopped trying and instead focused on escaping. I slipped out wearing one of the DG uniforms. I thought I'd been successful at getting out alone, but I guess that idea is out the door," she muttered, sarcastic. "I was naïve enough to think that I had escaped when it was Weiss allowing me to go."

"For every bruise, every scar, and every painful touch, he will pay," Cloud vowed against her ear.

Tifa turned to look at him so that their noses were brushing. "He'll die by my hand," she said.

"Both our hands," Cloud assured her, lips brushing against hers.

Tifa sighed and closed the distance completely, allowing the kiss and letting go of her control once more. "A part of me thought that you would've run far away from after those details of my past," she admitted.

Cloud leaned his head back against the stone wall and grunted. "Maybe another day I can talk to you about my own scars," he said, quiet.

Tifa leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes as she nodded. "I would like that."

Pressing their heads together, Cloud waited patiently for her to fall asleep. Once he was sure that she was, he stood and gathered her gently in his arms, moving to lay her on the cot next to little Zack. He wondered if the fact that he was close by had allowed Tifa deeper sleep, and he smiled slightly at the thought. But then a yawn took over him, and he walked off to gather his own blankets from his cot before returning to Tifa's space and setting up a place to sleep there.

He would've wanted to hold her, but he wasn't too sure where they stood now. And besides, she would benefit more from holding her son instead. So he laid down and hoped that come morning she didn't act as if nothing had happened between them. It would kill a part of him if she did.

…

"You smell like Cloud."

Tifa glared at her old friend and ignored the disturbed look on Vincent's face as she moved to gather some coffee from a warm pot by the fire. "And how would you know if you're standing on the other side of the fire?" Tifa asked in irritation.

Yuffie thought it over for a moment and shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, but ever since you rescued me from Hojo, I've had this crazy sense of smell. Twisted bastard thought it would be funny for me to be able to smell the strangest things," she grumbled.

Vincent gave her an amused look. "It may help in detecting scents that are out of place."

"I am _not_ going to be the group's bloodhound," Yuffie hissed.

Vincent just smirked and shrugged, handing her a bowl of what looked like oatmeal… or gruel, which were nearly the same thing. At the look on her face he sighed. "It's the only thing available. The people are running out of food reserves and I think we'll have to go hunting for something for them to eat."

Yuffie nodded and felt a thrill run down her spine at the prospect of hunting, which caused even more bewilderment for her. How was she supposed to hunt if she couldn't even touch her weapon? "I need to go do something," she muttered, walking away from Vincent and missing the puzzled look on his face.

Making sure that no one was watching her, Yuffie sat in a secluded area in silence, allowing the coldness of the caves calm her. Looking up, Yuffie sighed when she spotted small feet out of her peripheral vision.

"Are you hiding?" Zack asked curiously, eyes big in his cute face.

Yuffie smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I just needed a bit of quiet time for myself. But you can sit with me if you'd like," she offered.

The boy walked over to her and instead of sitting at her side, he slipped onto her lap and hugged her. Yuffie started in surprise, but quickly wrapped her arms around the small body in order to return the hug. "You're going away too, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

Yuffie sighed. "I'm not sure yet. We have to figure out where else we need to attack in order to bring down the people destroying the world," she said, quiet.

Blue eyes regarded her solemnly. "Why are you so sad? Chekov and uncle Godo used to tell me stories about you and my mommy, and how you were always smiling."

"Things happened to me, kiddo. Things that made me sad and that's why I don't smile that much anymore. But once this is over, I'll start to smile again," Yuffie reassured him. Zack smiled and nodded. "Here," she said, reaching into the pack attached to her leg. "I want you to have this. It'll protect you wherever you go, okay?"

Zack stared as she brought out a bright red orb and placed it over his small palm. "Materia?" he gasped in excitement.

Yuffie nodded. "It's Leviathan, our protector. He'll watch over you even if Tifa and I have to leave, okay?"

"Thank you, aunt Yuffie!" Zack said cheerfully.

"Welcome!" Yuffie said, a smile finding its way to her face. "You stay out of trouble and you'll see that your mommy will come soon."

Zack nodded and hugged her again before pocketing the materia orb and running off with wave. Yuffie watched him go with a smile on her face and turned to look at the dark shadows to her left. "It's not polite to eavesdrop," she said, calm.

Vincent stepped out of the darkness and gave her a probing look. "How did you know I was there?"

_I smelled the gunpowder and leather, _she thought in alarm. "I saw a flash of red and assumed it was you," she lied.

Vincent moved to sit next to her and sighed. "We both know you're lying," he said, flexing the hand that usually wore his sharp gauntlet but was now bare.

Yuffie stared at his hand and smiled to herself when she realized that he had removed his golden gauntlet before he had sought her out. "I don't know what's going on. A couple of days ago I had an average sense of smell. Now, I'm able to take in scents from across the room if I will myself to."

"It's how you knew Tifa had been with Cloud?" Vincent asked, tone wry.

Yuffie shrugged and remained silent for a moment. The former ninja nodded and shy fingers touched his ungloved hand. "I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen," she murmured sadly.

"I think it's in the air," Vincent replied, curling his fingers around hers. "As long as we save this world and those we love, I don't care if I have to give my life."

Yuffie let out a snort. "Suicidal much?" she asked with a grin.

"Just a bit," Vincent said, voice tinted with wry amusement.

"I need to be ready by our next fight," Yuffie said after a moment, staring into the darkness. "I won't let you all go out to battle while I sit around again. I hate being helpless."

"Maybe you should begin training with the Wusheng, even if you're not able to handle your shuriken just yet."

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, standing up and stretching.

Vincent followed, but with much more graceful movements, and he reached out to touch her shoulder. "You don't heal overnight from trauma like the one you suffered. With time, you will be okay," he assured her. "I can see strength in you."

Yuffie smiled and felt her cheeks color in embarrassment. "You don't even know me."

"I've seen enough to know," Vincent replied. He smiled slightly to himself when she looked away from his eyes and the blush on her cheeks became more pronounced. "Maybe… when this is all over we will get the chance to truly know each other."

"I'd like that," Yuffie replied, nodding.

"The others will be heading to check on Cid's ship in a few minutes. Will you join them?"

"I think I will. I haven't seen Reeve since we landed here. Has he been living on the ship?" Yuffie asked as they walked back over to the main cavern.

"Both he and Cid have stayed on _The Shera_ monitoring the surrounding area," Vincent confirmed.

They both stopped when they reached Cloud and Tifa, who were talking in quiet tones. Tifa tested her phone and sent Vincent a random message to see if he had signal inside the cave.

"We'll contact you if anything is out of the ordinary," Tifa said, slipping her double sword harness onto her back.

"I'm going with you," Yuffie said, waving at Vincent before beginning to walk off with Cloud.

Tifa closed the distance between Vincent and gave him a grave look. "If ever we get wind of an attack and I'm far away, I want you to take my son and protect him. He needs to be your top priority, even if you think I'll die elsewhere. Promise me you'll protect him, Vincent."

Vincent gave a sharp nod. "With my life, Tifa."

"Thank you," Tifa said with a small smile before walking away. She caught up to Cloud and Yuffie as they were exiting the cave in the direction of the hidden airship about a mile away.

Their trek was a quiet one, and Cloud glanced over at Tifa, unable to keep his eyes off of her. He didn't want to act like a love struck fool, but even in her black garb she looked beautiful and rested. She looked at peace. Smiling to himself, he hoped that their night interlude had had something to do with that.

Tifa could feel his gaze on her but tried to ignore it, forcing down a smirk. They would have time to talk to each other later, and to figure out what they were doing, but for now they needed to check in with both Cid and Reeve in order to plan a group meeting. A new attack against Weiss was needed in order for him to know that AVALANCHE wouldn't go down without a fight.

Cloud grabbed her wrist just as they neared the airship, and Yuffie took the hint, walking away to give them privacy. "You've been avoiding me since you got up this morning," he said.

Tifa shook her head and slipped her fingers around his. "I have a lot on my mind. We need to strike against Weiss soon. I just… I don't think we have time for _this_," she said, motioning between them with her free hand.

He gave her a devilish grin. "You don't think we have time for sex?"

"We _do_ have time for sex. But not much else," she said. At his annoyed look, Tifa let out a long sigh. Closing the distance between them, she stared into blue eyes intently, lips brushing. "What do you want from me, Strife?"

His lips skimmed hers a little harder as he opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp gasp from Yuffie forced them apart. "What is it?" Cloud asked, beginning to move over to her, reaching for his sword.

"Something's coming," Yuffie said in an urgent whisper.

Cloud's eyes focused on the dense jungle and he tried to listen for anything out of the ordinary as Tifa called Reeve. "I don't hear anything," he muttered.

Yuffie squinted. "I know something is there. I can sense…_ them_."

Tifa was starting to feel something strange in the air, too, but she couldn't quite figure our if it was just Yuffie's unease. "Reeve, I need you to run a scan of our surrounding area this second, please."

Through the phone Reeve sounded confused. _"I ran one fifteen minutes ago,"_ he replied.

"Do it, Reeve," Tifa said in a warning tone.

"_Give me a few seconds and I'll let you know if there's something out there." _After a long pause, Reeve cursed on his end. _"Sweet Minerva… they're surrounding us!"_

"Deepground?" Tifa asked in a low growl.

A few strokes of the keyboard came across before Reeve replied. _"Yes. Send the message, Tifa. The caves need to be evacuated! Our location has been compromised."_

Tifa turned to look at Cloud as she sent Vincent the message, wondering if it had been their night excursion that had given away their position to a spy wandering through the jungles of Wutai. The message read: _We've been discovered. Evacuate this second. _She paused and then sent another. _Vincent, get my son out and go with them._

Vincent's only reply was:_ Understood._

"We need to hold them off," Cloud said, retracting his sword and turning to look at Tifa.

Tifa nodded and her gaze went to Yuffie. "Maybe you should head back and help with the evacuation."

Yuffie shook her head and raced into the Shera. "One of my shurikens is here. I'll be right back!"

Now that they were alone once more, Tifa felt guilt gnaw at her insides. "This is our fault. Any deaths today will be our fault."

"Then it'll be up to us to not let _anybody_ die today," Cloud assured her, brushing his fingers over hers. Leaning forward, he pressed a quick kiss against her lips. "Don't die today. We're far from over in this war," he whispered.

Tifa gave him a level look and nodded once. "I'm not planning on dying anytime soon," she reassured him, drawing her blades when they finally began to hear some noise.

A loud, echoing growl filled the air and was followed by trees snapping like twigs in the distance. "Sounds big," Cloud muttered with a sigh.

Tifa knew that growl, had heard it many times in her nightmares. Weiss had _always_ made her watch when Azul was in a homicidal mood and he diced to take it out on captured victims. She gave Cloud a nod as they both equipped lightning materia and waited for the storm that was fast approaching.

…

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I'm officially on break from school now, so expect updates for many fics, and some new stories for Springkink in July. Thank you so much for reading and I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

P.S. If you like making icons, please check out the Cloud Awards, which is a icon contest community for Cloud Strife and is run by my buddy ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie. The link is in my bio page, and it needs more members since it's still a new community!


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so happy that I have an update for this baby! This has honestly become one of my favorite stories that I've written so far, though be aware that we are closing in on an ending. Anyway, I just want to wish Valky a happy birthday again(or birth month;) and I really hope you like this chapter. There's a bit of fluff in the end, but the majority of the chapter is fighting. Also, I think I may have taken _a lot_ of liberties with a summon used here, so I hope it came out believable.

Special thanks for reviewing to: Valk, ReNeVIerE07, zodious, shinobinaraku, vLuna, and Reignashii. You guys are so awesome for your kind and positive words. Hugs and smooches for everyone! It's pretty late, so excuse any errors I probably missed… Music always inspire my chapters but I usually forget which ones. Please enjoy!

…

**Coming Undone**

…

There was something wrong with her, she could feel it in her skull, like something drilling into her head. The sense of danger had been in the air and her instincts had screamed it at her outside. She'd known that danger was approaching and she had felt her blood sing with the prospect of killing. Gods, what was wrong with her?

Racing into the room she'd been given onboard Cid's ship, she fell to her knees and found the case that held her precious Conformer. Lifting the clasps, she opened it and her hand shook as she reached for it. She swallowed hard and pulled it out of the velvet. Releasing a breath, she got to her feet and forced herself to not recoil before she raced out of the room and towards the back hatch as she heard the engines of The Shera start up.

When she jumped down onto land, her eyes widened when she heard the roar much closer, trees being snapped like twigs. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast in her chest to the point where she felt it would burst before the battle even started.

Suddenly, pain raced through her skull like a lance piercing her brain and she fell onto her knees, a cry ripping itself from her throat. Leviathan, please, what was happening?

…

The people were panicking, and had he not been so well trained, Vincent knew he would've reacted the same way. They were in danger and there was a chance that some of them would not make it out alive. "Lord Godo, you must leave immediately," he said sternly.

"I can't leave Yuffie again!" the man said, despair creeping into his tone.

"I will protect her," Vincent assured him. "But I cannot do that unless I know you are safely away with your people."

"But didn't Tifa request that you stay with the boy?" Godo asked as Chekov ran over to them, little Zack in her arms.

"I will get you all to safety and I will return to protect Yuffie. Have you all gathered what you can?" he asked both.

Vincent received nods and they all began to move towards the second path of the cave that would lead them to the trail and the submarines. He hung back when he realized that Chekov was walking slower because of the added weight of his nephew. Taking the boy in one arm, Vincent made sure that his gun-hand was free before they all began to walk at a brisker pace. When they were out of the cave, he could hear the sounds of the battle, as well as something huge snapping trees. He was torn between taking their people to the submarines and rushing off to help in the battle.

Godo and Chekov were running ahead and Vincent turned to the ninja beside him. "Take the boy and make sure he's safe," he said, handing Zack over.

"Vincent!" Zack called, not wanting to go with the other man.

"I promise that when this is all over, your mother will return to you, okay Zack? You have to be a good listen to what this man tells you to do." He turned to the ninja. "Guard him with your life or more than one person will come back for _you_."

The man in black garb nodded and quickly took off with the child in his arms. All Vincent caught sight of were a pair of blue eyes and a sad wave. Turning away, Vincent ran towards the battle, hoping that Tifa didn't fault him for what he'd done. He was fairly certain that they were in trouble, judging by the sounds of the fight.

Meanwhile, the man who had been holding Zack stopped in the path and placed the boy down quietly before drawing his katana. There were rustling sounds in the bushes up ahead, away from the path that would lead them down to the subs. "Go. Now. Into the bushes and be quiet," he said to the boy.

Zack nodded in fear and did as he was told, just as Sensei Angeal had instructed him many times, and Vincent just seconds ago. A low growl reached his ears and he closed his eyes when he heard the sound of the blade cutting through air. Hisses and growls followed, and there was a fight that left Zack's little heart nearly jumping out of his chest. He had trained hard with Sensei, but he was alone. Tifa and Vincent were gone, and Chekov wasn't there, either.

He opened his eyes when the jungle became quiet once more. Peeking around the bushes, he saw that the ninja was on the ground, unmoving, and so was the monster that had attacked him. It looked like a dog, but… Zack had never seen a dog like that one before. More rustling ahead had him freezing in fear before he moved back into denser jungle and followed the direction he had seen Vincent leave. Before long, his little legs were running as quick as possible. He just hoped he found Tifa soon.

…

Rosso was back and intent on killing anyone she could get her hands on. A few ninjas had fallen, but many were holding their own and had already taken out a big number of DG soldiers that had been trying to corner them.

The sun was high in the sky and with it had come an unbearable heat that made Tifa's hair stick to her forehead and cheeks as she moved, slashing and cutting down whoever stood in her way. She was literally cutting a path towards Rosso the Crimson and she promised herself that this would be the last time she would allow the woman to hurt another human again.

Ducking when the air sang with the movement of a blade, Tifa came back up with her own, slashing and cutting down the soldier that had been trying for her head. She could see Cloud at her peripheral vision, and Nero at the edge of the clearing, reloading his guns after taking out soldiers with near perfect headshots.

The sound of bullets ricocheting off a blade made her turn in time to see Cloud defending her back. "Thanks," she muttered with a small smile.

Cloud winked and nodded. "Don't mention it," he said before he was off, attacking Azul once more. The big, blue beast seemed to be getting slower, but there was still enough of him to nearly trample Angeal as the man defended against soldiers at the same time.

Finally facing off with Rosso, Tifa let out a slow breath when the other woman smirked. "Ready to die?" the red warrior asked.

Tifa grunted and took a fighting stance. "Weiss knows his time is running out. We'll send him a message today."

"A message in which only one of us will survive?" she asked.

"Something like that," Tifa said before attacking.

Their blades resonated loudly when they clashed and Tifa found that the woman's strength was unlike anything she had felt before. Rosso seemed smug as she shoved Tifa back without any effort and their blades began to cut through the air. Calling on the power of the Ancients, Tifa felt the zing of the fire materia she had equipped into her katana and grinned when Rosso hissed and her defense began to crumble.

"Can't handle a bit of magic?" Tifa asked, rolling and jabbing forward, intent on catching the other woman in the gut.

Rosso's lance swung sideways and shoved Tifa's attack off balance. The brunette stumbled, but quickly turned to defend her side against Rosso, a breath away from getting stabbed between her lower ribs.

The familiar sound of Vincent's gun going off nearly made Tifa jump, but she didn't turn because she knew it would be a costly mistake. Instead, she began to push forward with strength and her katana, hoping to distract Rosso enough to back her towards small rocks that would make her lose her balance. She defended and despite the advantage of the fire materia Tifa had on her, Rosso didn't seem too overexerted.

Rushing her once more, Tifa swung her katana and sliced a clean line across the other woman's middle, watching her bleed in satisfaction. Rosso's growl was almost inhuman as she attacked, swinging quickly and making Tifa dodge as fast as she could without noticing that her enemy had managed to drive _her_ towards the rocks.

Her boot stumbled on one but she managed to fall and miss the blade that had been directed at her throat. "I will take pleasure in breaking every bone in your body," Rosso purred.

Tifa grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes when Rosso raised her lance and aimed it at her, intent on just shooting her to incapacitate her. Then a sick, slick sound resounded and blood splattered Tifa's face as she stared in shock. Both women gazed at the massive blade sticking out of Rosso's middle, from collarbone to stomach.

"You once took someone important from me," Cloud's voice growled in rage from behind her. "I won't let you do it again."

Rosso coughed up blood and smiled maniacally as Cloud drove his sword in further. "Weiss will have you again, Tifa. There is no escape from the Immaculate Emperor. He will turn you into his little puppet when he gets his hands on you again. Believe me, fool, that he _will_ find you and eviscerate all those you hold dear."

Tifa got to her feet and pulled the fire materia from her katana before she equipped it into a bracer she grabbed from her pocket. "I know he's watching this battle now," she said, closing the distance between them, her eyes momentarily focusing on Cloud as the woman between them slowly bled to death. "I hope he knows that I will be waiting for him when he comes."

Cloud drew back his sword at the same time that Tifa pulled on the weakening energy of the Lifestream, sending a wall of flame onto Rosso, trying to ignore the screeches of agony from the woman as the fire caught onto the mako in her suit.

"No!" Azul bellowed when he saw what was happening to his companion. The massive man snarled and to the astonishment of their group, a bright light began to engulf him completely.

"What's going on?" Vincent asked, coming to stand at Tifa's side.

"Where's my son?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

Vincent sighed. "I had to leave him with one of the ninja's. He'll be safe," he assured her.

"Vincent, I asked _you_ to look after him!" Tifa snapped, gripping her blade with one hand and making sure that her gun was ready in case she needed it. More soldiers were coming up from the jungle behind Azul, and the big man was having some sort of transformation.

"Tifa, he'll be fine. I'm more needed here," Vincent said in a tone that told her that he was done arguing with her for now.

Both looked up when a roar filled the air and instead of Azul, a large creature, reminiscent of a Behemoth, was standing in place. "I get the feeling this is going to hurt," Cloud muttered.

Tifa sighed and readjusted her grip on her blade. "If you have lightning materia," she started. "Now would be a good time to equip. His neck and underbelly are his weakest spots."

"How—" Cloud started.

Tifa shook her head. "I'll tell you when we make sure he's dead."

The blond nodded and gave her a slanting look. "No good luck kiss?"

Angeal rolled his eyes when Tifa laughed. "Now is not the time to be flirting," he growled out.

"They have a tendency to bond at inappropriate times," said Nero dryly.

"Shut up," Tifa muttered as they all began to spread out for their impending attack on the beast.

"Mommy?"

Tifa's head snapped up at the sound of his voice, her brain refusing to comprehend what it was that she was seeing as both she and Angeal took a step forward. Her son, _her son, _her brain nearly screamed hysterically, was standing in the clearing, too close to Azul's left side. Worst than him being there was the fact that the monster seemed to have spotted him, too.

The beast charged and before Tifa could draw breath to scream, her legs were running faster than she ever remembered going. As huge as Azul was, he moved faster than they would've expected and damn it she would die protecting her son if she had to. She impacted the small body and rolled with him, hoping that she didn't injure him as they hit the ground with her body protecting him.

She felt Azul's disgusting breath roll across the back of her neck but the pain she had expected never came, and she looked up in time to see Azul be pummeled sideways by a much smaller beast. Tifa grabbed the boy tighter in her arms and looked him over as she raced towards the trees. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked quickly.

Zack nodded, tears in his eyes. "I'm okay."

"What are you doing here?" Tifa nearly wailed. "You were supposed to be in the Sub with Chekov and Godo!"

"The ninja died fighting a monster that looked like a dog! And I—I was scared. I thought you were hurt," said the boy in a small voice.

She hugged him tightly to her chest as she set him down near some trees, unable to take him any further. She wanted desperately to get him somewhere safe, but the DG soldiers had cornered the _animal _that had saved both Zack and herself from Azul.

It roared, and though it wasn't as mighty as the big blue one, the creature's call was still loud as it stood on two legs. It was covered in fur and the hands had massive claws, but Tifa didn't know what it was by the horns on its head. Tifa turned back to Zack. "I need you to promise me something." The child nodded. "I need you to stay here, hiding. Don't come out for _any _reason. Do you understand me?"

Zack nodded once more. "Don't die!" he said, throwing his arms around her neck and squeezing.

Tifa's eyes burned and she nodded, hugging him just as tight. "I'll come back for you. I promise. Just, please, stay where no one can see you and if the fighting gets close, move back, okay?"

"Okay," said Zack, slipping behind a tree trunk and watching Tifa race back to the fight.

She hadn't wanted her son to see death this early on, but she wanted him to have a future and to actually grow up to see a ripe, old age. She would bring down the stars for him if she had to. Racing towards her fallen katana, she picked it up and charged the soldiers attacking the smaller beast while Angeal and Cloud handled Azul, and Vincent and Nero picked off the other soldiers still approaching from the distance.

Ducking, slicing, jabbing, and stabbing, Tifa managed to cut the men down with an ease that made her know that she was done. The fight would have to finish soon because her son's life was on the line, and when she was rushed, she became much more brutal than she was comfortable with.

Finally, all that was left was the creature itself, it's muzzle covered with blood and dark eyes nearly black in its furry face. Tifa swallowed hard and felt recognition in those eyes. Her lips parted in surprise and a gasp escaped her. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed, watching as a claw reached for her. "Yuffie?"

The creature—which she was almost sure was Yuffie—roared pitifully before taking off after Azul and sinking teeth into the blue monster's neck. Azul tried to shake her from him, but when he was unable to, his jaw snapped and caught Yuffie's leg, pulling. The strange being that Yuffie had become roared and gouged at Azul's face, effectively slicing through one eye deeply. Azul howled and managed to tear Yuffie away and swing her with amazing strength into a tree trunk where she fell and did not get up.

Cloud took advantage of the distraction to use Azul's tail and run up onto his back, readying two sections of his sword for an attack, but his concentration wavered when he heard shots fired and a grunt come from Tifa as the bullets caught her. She didn't go down, but he could tell that the fighting was taking a toll on their group; Tifa was still holding her own but she had gotten slower. And still the DG soldiers were coming.

Azul snarled and thrashed, attempting to take down Angeal with a swipe of his tail, but Cloud snapped back to attention and began to run towards the head. Launching himself into the air with a high jump, Cloud fused his swords together and prepared an attack he hadn't used since Zack had been alive. Gathering blue energy around him, he then began to fall back down and aimed his sword right at the Azul's neck, slicing and very nearly cutting off his head.

The massive bulk began to sway from side to side as blood poured out of the wound, but still he swiped with his claws, catching soldiers and ninjas at the same time. A sharp cry alerted Cloud once more and he began to race towards Tifa when she was taken down to her knees and guns were pointed to her head and chest.

"_Damsel in distress," _a familiar, amused voice whispered with the cold breeze, making Cloud's eyes widen in recognition. It was then that he wondered if his eyes were deceiving him as he caught sight of Zack—his friend, and not the child—standing near some trees. He blinked quickly to try and clear his vision and realized that it wasn't the old Zack, but Tifa's son was who standing there, holding a glowing orb in his hands.

A second flash of light drew the attention of everyone, and seemingly from nothing a massive, blue and green scaled form began to rise behind the child. It was an impressive sight, to see the power and majestic beauty of the Wutai god as he slithered and hovered protectively behind little Zack. The boy stared up in awe, but there was no fear on his face. It could've been a trick of the light once more, but behind the child, Cloud thought he saw the elder Zack, his hands on the boy's shoulders, giving him strength to sustain the summon.

The nearby stream began to gather at the sea serpent's call and it rose into a massive wall that seemed to continue to grow by the second. Cloud hadn't seen a summon in _years_, but this one he was unfamiliar with, despite the legends and the history he had learned during the time he had trained to become a SOLDIER. He didn't know whether Leviathan would harm _everyone _in the clearing.

Cutting his way over to Tifa while the soldiers were still distracted, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her further away. She fought him and attempted to run to her son, but his strength was too much for her at the moment. "He's not alone," Cloud assured her, their allies following just in time to see the massive Tsunami come down over the soldiers and Azul with devastating force and a thunderous crash.

The water trickled between their feet and Tifa looked up to find a Azul had reverted back to his _human_ form and that most of the soldiers had either disappeared or were on the ground, unmoving. Shoving Cloud's arms away, she raced to her son as he fell back onto his rump with an exhausted sigh.

A DG soldier began to stand while Tifa passed by and her sword was almost automatically in her hand, slicing quietly as her eyes stayed on Zack. She reached him before he slumped backwards. "What did you do?" she whispered.

"_Tired." _The voice of Zack's namesake was still traveling with the wind. _"He'll be okay."_

Gathering the child into her arms, Tifa stood and clutched him tightly to her, her body bleeding but with her unable to feel it. She was numb and she was sure that the anger would rear its ugly head very soon. She would trust Zack when he had said that their son would be okay; the little body in her hands was heavy, but he was breathing and his face was peaceful. The summon materia was still clutched in one hand, and she supposed that he wouldn't let it go, even in his sleep.

"Tifa—" Vincent started.

"Don't," she said in a carefully controlled voice.

Cloud barred her path and gave her a solemn look. "Cid will pick us up in a few minutes. He made sure the people in the caves escaped without a problem and he's tracking them, too."

Tifa swallowed and nodded, unaware of the sight she made, dressed in black, blood splattered on her face and staining the boy in her arms. Her eyes were large in her pale face, but for the moment she was calm. "Burn Azul's body, too. That way there won't be anything left to salvage from his blood or body."

She turned to her left slightly and spotted Vincent taking off his cloak and wrapping it around Yuffie as he picked her up. She was back to her normal self but also unconscious. So many thoughts were jumbled up in Tifa's head, she didn't think she could handle anything else at the moment.

A few minutes later, Cid landed in the clearing and Tifa walked away with her son, leaving the men to dispose of Azul, who had been practically on the brink of death before the summon had practically finished him off. His breaths were coming out in harsh gurgles, but she didn't want to see them push the monster over the line, despite all that she had seen him do. The man had killed so many out of sport, and for Weiss, he deserved it, but it didn't make Tifa any happier to know that on that day, two of Weiss' closest and best killers had been taken out.

Death had ruled her life for so long, she was tired of it. She wanted it all to be over and she was sure that with the death of Azul and Rosso, Weiss really would be coming for them soon. Her days were numbered and it made Tifa aware that she had to take advantage of the time she would have left with her son.

She was still clutching onto Zack's sleeping form when _The Shera_ took to the air once more, leaving behind remnants of death and destruction. At least they had saved Yuffie's people, she thought vaguely.

"Hey," Cloud said quietly, walking into the room. His eyes narrowed when he saw that the floor underneath her chair was being marred by crimson. "You need to set him down so that we can tend to your wounds."

Tifa shook her head and buried her nose into Zack's spikes, which smelled of… ocean water, she realized with surprise. She stared down at his little face and felt her eyes burn. "I need to get him cleaned up before I can even think of myself."

Cloud nodded and dug around through his things to find an oversized shirt for Zack. "I'll go get some water and towels so that you can get the blood off of him," he said before moving into the small, adjacent bathroom.

Tifa began the careful job of removing the clothes from Zack and felt the stirrings of pain in her shoulder. Ignoring it, she gently cleaned off her son of any traces of red and finally placed the shirt on him before tucking him into bed. He heaved a long sigh and turned into a more comfortable position before continuing to sleep.

"Come on," Cloud said, taking her hand and beginning to pull her towards the door.

"No—" Tifa tugged her arm back, refusing to go. "I'm not leaving him alone."

"He'll be fine. If you don't get the bullets out of your shoulder, you're going to bleed out and die," Cloud said flatly.

Tifa sighed. "Will you take them out?" Her eyes met his. "I don't want to be far away from Zack. Please, Cloud."

He let out a heavy sigh and finally nodded. "I can ask for Reeve to give me something to numb your pain. Otherwise, it _will_ hurt."

"I've had Nero extract bullets from me before. Just get what's necessary and come back, yeah?"

Cloud nodded, and before he could turn away, Tifa pulled off her glove and touched his cheek, leaning in for a soft kiss. Blue eyes watched her, solemn, and he brushed her dirty hair out of her face with a small smile. "Try to staunch the bleeding. I'll be right back," he said, handing her an old towel.

She winced and tried her best to cover the bleeding from the awkward angle, stepping into the small bathroom to wait for Cloud. She stared at her reflection in the narrow mirror above the sink. Her face was pale, a bruise forming on her chin, and other scrapes and cuts, not to mention blood, were marring her cheeks, neck, and chin. She looked lost and tired, which was exactly how she felt.

Looking away from the mirror, she began to remove her torn and bloody clothes until she was down to her pants and bra only. Cloud returned and nearly winced when he saw the bloody mess on her back. "Once I get the bullets out, I can heal you with the cure materia Vincent gave me."

"Don't talk to me about Vincent right now," Tifa nearly hissed, sitting on the toilet after closing the lid.

Cloud took the hint and grabbed the sterile utensils Reeve had given him from the medical bay. "Together, he and Nero managed to take out a good number of the DG soldiers, Tifa. We would've been in worse danger if he hadn't done what he thought was right."

"And you think that I should forgive him for putting my son in danger, then? Would Zack's death had been an acceptable trade for our own safety?" She grit her teeth when Cloud quickly injected a mild anesthetic into her shoulder while she had been looking away.

Feeling the pain begin to numb, Tifa closed her eyes when Cloud pulled out a sharp little blade from its packet, and proceeded to cut at the bullet entries, making them wider. She could feel it distantly, but whatever Cloud had given her before had kept the brunt of the pain away. Soon enough, though, she heard the clatter of three bullets as Cloud dropped them into the sink.

The sounds were followed by a flash of light that took with it the anesthetic and closed her wounds. All that was left was the ache and tenderness of where the abrasions had been, as well as a slight feeling of lightheadedness. She stood slowly and turned to look at Cloud as he began to clean up the gauze she hadn't even seen before; he placed it all into a container, including the bloodied tools he had used to extract the bullets.

"Thank you," she muttered, quiet.

Cloud nodded and turned to go, letting her know that he would dispose of the items while she cleaned up. Tifa turned on the water for a quick shower and by the time Cloud returned, she was getting dressed. He entered the shower quietly, but when he exited, she was waiting for him, her hair still damp but clean.

"I thought you'd be resting," he whispered.

Tifa shook her head and looked at her son. "I can't seem to shut off my mind right now," she admitted, allowing him to close the distance and wrap his arms around her waist. Their lips met in a slow, wet kiss that flushed her cheeks and momentarily made him wish that they had been alone.

"Maybe we should get some rest," Cloud said, attempting to maneuver her towards the bed where Zack was.

"Not yet. I need to talk to everyone to see how they are." A thought came to the forefront of her mind and her eyed widened. "I need to see Yuffie."

Cloud gave her an anxious look. "Yuffie seems to be in the same deep sleep Zack is in. They haven't been able to wake her up for a while."

Tifa seemed to sag in his arms and her forehead dropped onto his shoulder. "She was that… creature that saved Zack and me from getting eaten my Azul. I don't… I never knew to what extent the experiments done on her had gone. God, if Hojo were alive, I'd take my time tearing him limb from limb for what he did to her."

Cloud brushed his fingers through Tifa's damp hair and hugged her close to him, remaining silent when he felt the dampness through his shirt where her face was pressed. "Come on. Just rest your eyes for a little, and then we'll take care of everything else, alright? I spoke to Cid and Reeve and we're on our way to Icicle Town."

Tifa let out a long sigh and conceded, moving slowly over to the bed and settling herself behind Zack, spooning his little body. Cloud followed, to Tifa's surprise, and all three curled together on the small bed. It had been such a long time since she had been held like this, Tifa realized, and it felt a little strange but not unpleasant.

Cloud laid his head against hers and kissed her tender shoulder gently. "This is the first time I get to hold you," he whispered, echoing her thoughts. "It's… nice."

She smiled and for a moment allowed herself to forget her bleak thoughts on war and blood. "We might as well enjoy it," she said, cheeky.

Cloud tightened his arms around her waist and brushed his fingers over Zack's soft hair. Tifa's clean scent and the feel of her in his arms gave him a sense of calm that made him wish would never end. But he knew that they wouldn't have this moment of peace for long. The world needed saving and it was up to them; a band of broken misfits, so badly damaged that it was a miracle that they had gotten this far.

He waited until Tifa's breathing evened out before he allowed himself a relieved sigh. Maybe they had a chance of coming out of this alive and well. His heart was hoping desperately for a good outcome, but his brain was telling him that he was delusional. Forcing himself to relax, Cloud closed his eyes and despite everything, was asleep within minutes.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Well, I will say one thing, we're in for a confrontation between Tifa and Vincent and it won't be pretty. Also, we'll see what the next step in their fight will be, and we'll hear of Weiss, too. I really hope you all liked this baby and I'm going to try my very best to continue updating all the fics I have going before I start school at the end of the month. Anyway, have a nice week everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

Seriously, I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to leave a review telling me what you enjoyed in the last chapter. It's really inspiring and it helps to know that you all liked what you read. I'm hoping to update _Love Game_ sometime soon, but it's possible that my new VinceYuffie fic will be updated first, so look forward to either one.:) Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter for this story!

…

**Coming Undone**

…

An hour later, she was wide awake and getting dressed in her normal, all black attire. She left her weapons where they were resting and stood for a moment in the dark. Her eyes weren't as mako infused as Cloud's and Angeal's were, but she did have enough mako in her own body to help her see better in the dark.

Zack was still sleeping, but now he looked much more peaceful and his little head was pillowed on Cloud's shoulder as the blond continued to doze. Trusting him to watch over her son, Tifa made her way out of the room and down towards the cockpit, hoping that she didn't encounter Vincent for a few hours.

Her fury was still boiling and she honestly did not want to fight with her brother. He had always been there for her, except—except for when she had needed him the most. If something had happened to Zack…

Her hands tightened into fists when she entered the cockpit, and she saw Vincent standing by the massive windows. He turned at her entrance and began to approach her. "Don't," Tifa started when she saw his mouth open.

"You can't blame me for wanting to see you safe as well," Vincent interrupted, annoyed.

"I value the life of my son over mine," Tifa hissed. "I would've gladly died if that would've meant his safety!"

"Don't say that," Vincent nearly growled. "I care for Zack, too, but you're my sister!"

Her fist moved before either of them realized it and Tifa stared with wide eyes for a moment. She hadn't meant to hit him, but she supposed that her subconscious had wanted her to _do_ something to get out all of the anger and despair bottled up in her chest. She swallowed hard and stared at Vincent, shocked at what she had done. But he merely stared back at her, eyes heavy with guilt and regret.

She didn't want to drive a void between them, but there were so many feelings threatening to explode from her chest. She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't even think of what she would do if she lost someone else she cared about.

"I'm sorry," Tifa whispered, voice cracking.

Vincent ignored his split lip and pulled her into his arms without much warning, squeezing her just as tightly as she was clutching him. "You're all I have left. Don't _ask_ me to just sit back and let you die."

"Vincent, my son is one of the most important things in my life. How will I be able to die in peace if I know that he won't be protected by someone I trust?" Tifa whispered, ignoring the buckles digging into her jaw and neck.

"I'll protect him. I promise," Vincent murmured, letting go; he squeezed Tifa's shoulders before she was out of his reach. "But there is no way that I'm letting you die."

He would try to keep her alive, she was certain, and she would do her damned best to get out of this situation alive, too. She'd been so close to giving up and accepting her fate, but she would not bow down. Not without a fight for a future in which her son could grow up and be happy.

"Momma?"

She was startled once more to hear Zack calling her that, and she turned towards the door to see Cloud carrying the boy on his back. The blond set him down and the child happily raced into Tifa's arms, hugging her tightly. "Hi, sweetheart," she whispered, kissing his hair.

"I'm hungry," Zack said, staring up at her with wide, blue eyes.

Tifa nodded and allowed herself a smile she hadn't tried in years. She looked up at Cloud and motioned in the general direction of the kitchen. He nodded and walked with them, silent and observant.

The eating area was empty, but food had been left prepared and in containers for whoever arrived next. She served food for all three of them and then they took a seat at one of the tables.

"Vincent must've run into the door, right?" Cloud asked in a low voice, watching Zack as the boy took quick bites out of his toast.

Tifa glared mildly as she nodded. "We settled a few things," she said evasively. She then turned to her son. "How did you know that I was your mother?"

Zack looked at her with his innocent eyes. "My daddy told me when Leviathan came to help."

Both Cloud and Tifa stared, reminded by the amazing event the night before. "Your dad… he gave you the power to raise Leviathan?" Cloud asked.

Zack nodded and continued to eat as if nothing was amiss. Tifa grit her teeth and stabbed at a piece of fruit violently. "I'd break his pretty nose if he was still alive…" she trailed off, tone threatening.

"I wanted to help," said the boy, honest. "It didn't hurt, but I was sleepy after."

Cloud stood to pour him and Tifa some coffee, leaving mother and son alone for a moment.

"Are you angry at me?" Tifa asked, forcing herself to look at her son in the eyes.

"Why?" the boy asked, genuinely curious.

"Because I've been away from you for so long. I—"

"But you came back," was Zack's sunny reply. "Uncle Godo, Sensei, and Chekov all told me that you would come back. Even daddy and uncle Vincent said so!"

There was another beat of silence as a heavy weight lifted from Tifa's shoulders, though the pain in her heart didn't lessen any. She'd been gone and had missed so much; no amount of apologies would take that away. "I'll have to go again soon," she said in a low voice.

Zack's blue eyes filled with sadness. "Where are you going?"

"I need to help save the world. The men killing the planet need to be stopped."

"Can't sensei do it?" Zack asked.

Tifa smiled and brushed the boy's bangs from his eyes. "We all need to fight together in order to win."

"But you'll come back?"

Tifa stared down at her plate and looked up when Cloud returned with the coffee. He gave her a look. "You'll come back. Right, Tifa?"

She nodded and felt her heart fill with a happiness she hadn't felt in years, Zack's small arms tightening in a hug around her neck. Her eyes met Cloud's over the boy's head and she nodded before closing them. She'd try her damnest to come back to her son _and_ Cloud. To finally let go of everything that had tormented her for so long.

Sighing to herself, Tifa pushed her dark thoughts away from her mind and set Zack down so that they could continue eating their breakfast. She needed to cherish every moment with both Zack and Cloud because… she didn't know whether or not she'd live to see tomorrow.

…

Vincent sat quietly in a chair, mind blank and his body relaxed as he watched the slow rise and fall of Yuffie's chest. She had been sleeping like the dead for a few hours now, but he knew from experience that she would soon awaken and would need food to regain her strength.

How many lives had Hojo ruined? He wondered. Had the man's madness known no bounds? He was very glad that Tifa had _taken care_ of him, otherwise Vincent himself would've hunted him down.

"You look so serious while you're thinking," Yuffie's scratchy voice cut through his thoughts.

His eyes shifted to her face and he nodded with a faint smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been tenderized by a mallet," she muttered, sitting up slowly and noting that she was dressed in an oversized shirt. "How is everyone?"

"They're fine. We lost some ninjas, but your father and friends are all alive and relatively unscathed."

"And the kid?"

"He's with Tifa and Cloud. We're on our way to Icicle Town, now." Vincent handed over a glass of water and a granola bar.

Yuffie nodded and stared down at her hands clutching the items he had given her. "What did I do?" she asked quietly.

Vincent glanced at her hands as well, before looking at her face. "You saved many lives." He paused for a long moment, watching her fidget under his scrutiny. "Can you tell me about your transformation?"

Yuffie hesitated before nodding. "I remember that when we heard Azul approaching, I started to feel this sharp pain in my head. I had made up my mind to take up my shuriken to fight and I was able to grab it and get outside, but the pain only intensified."

"What happened after you got outside?" Vincent questioned.

"I don't remember. I just know that the pain was unbearable and it felt as if something was ripping through my skin. All I could think of was blood and of fighting," she whispered the last part. "I don't remember much of what happened after that."

"Yuffie."

"What?" she asked, not meeting his gaze.

"You're not a monster," Vincent said in a low, serious tone.

Her eyes raised to his and were glittering with tears. "Yeah, well, I feel like one. Hojo was one sick son of a bitch," she spat.

Vincent grunted and nodded. "I know a thing or two about what he was capable of." He paused, debating on whether or not to confide in the young woman. Finally, he drew a breath and looked at her. "I've never told Tifa about it, but during the time I left Nibelheim and I ventured to Midgar, Hojo—did something to me. I believe it was in revenge for going after his wife, but he put something into me. A creature much like yours."

"You can transform, too?" she asked, voice laced with horror.

Vincent nodded. "I've had years of practice with it, so he doesn't get the jump on me anymore."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "You can control it?"

"Somewhat," Vincent said evasively. "Galian Beast cooperates with me when it suits him. Other times, when he's feeling excessively restless, I lose most of my control and the body count rises." He raised his eyes to look at her and found her staring. "Yes?"

"It has a name?" Yuffie asked, incredulous.

Vincent nodded once. "He also speaks to me when he's in the mood to do so."

Yuffie pursed her lips and looked away from him. Hojo had been more twisted than she had thought. To put into someone's head a… demon, for lack of a better word, who could talk… it was just cruel. The thing inside of her head wasn't coherent enough to talk to her, and if she thought hard enough, she could feel it there in the background. It didn't sound as bad as Vincent's though. It was probably like having a psychotic voice in your head…

"I've grown used to it over the years," Vincent said to her silence. "But I won't lie to you; it was hard to do so."

"Yeah, I figured as much. It's disturbing and I don't feel human anymore, but if it helps us win then it's something we can live with, right?" she asked, faking cheerfulness.

Vincent had to admire her but he merely nodded. "I never would've wished something like this on you."

"Hey, I feel the same way about you. I guess life just thought it would be funny to screw with us, huh?" she asked, her smile turning watery.

"I won't tell you to see this as any kind of blessing, but… maybe we have these _creatures_ placed in our heads for a reason. If we can succeed in saving the planet and the remaining people in it…" he trailed off in a low tone.

Yuffie smirked bitterly and nodded once, understanding what he was getting it. They could live with their curse and help Tifa and Cloud in their battle if it meant saving what remained of their home and the human race. She looked up at Vincent and slipped her fingers over his. "Thanks, Vince."

"Vincent."

"It'll be either Vince or Vinnie," she muttered.

Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, but when he caught the clear teasing glint in her eyes, he knew that he had helped her darkness fade away for now. He let out a heavy sigh of surrender and looked away from her.

Yuffie smiled slightly in pleasure and leaned back against her pillows. Her happiness wilted some when she thought of not seeing her father and old friends for another stretch of time. "I'm so tired of hurting… and of being alone."

"We all are," Vincent replied in a low voice. "But we have to… believe that it'll be over soon."

Yuffie wondered if he had been about to say 'hope,' but changed his mind last minute. She could understand how hard it would be to hope that they would survive, or that the whole world would be saved. It was even hard to think of a world without the pain that Weiss had brought upon it.

Both lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Yuffie basked in the fact that Vincent hadn't yet left. Maybe she wouldn't be alone anymore, and maybe there was still some _hope_ left in their world.

…

Icicle Town was one of the many places on the planet that had remained the same. Snow was falling in thick clumps when _The Shera _finally touched down in the outskirts, and Cid set about to making sure that the ship's parts wouldn't freeze too badly in case they needed to take off in a second.

"I'm going into town to buy a few things," Tifa said, donning the black cloak she had been wearing when Cloud had first met her. Along with a pair of black, knee-high boots, and a special outfit to keep away the cold, she was ready to risk the negative digit weather.

"I'll go with you," Cloud said, giving her a stubborn look.

"Stay with my son. Please, Cloud," Tifa added when he began to protest. "Vincent and Nero can come with me if you're worried about my safety."

Cloud tried to ignore her wink, but she looked so… playful, and beautiful. He wanted to curse himself for being such an idiot. They had no time for love, but he got the feeling that he was too late to try to avoid falling in love with her.

The others in their group dispersed; some to continue their coming assault against Weiss and his reactors, others to get some rest, or to grab something to eat. Tifa paused in front of Cloud and placed a small peck on his lips.

"I'll be back soon," she said, voice dipped low.

His blue eyes watched her lips intently before she sidestepped him and walked out the door. He sighed to himself and saw Angeal watching him in amusement from where he stood hovering over Zack protectively.

"Interesting thing, love is."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "You're not going to get philosophical on me, are you?"

Angeal grinned and shook his head. "I'm just… glad that it's something that can still flourish, even in the world we live in now."

The blond was silent for a moment, eyes darting to Zack, who was on the floor, laying on his stomach as he colored into an old, tattered notebook. "I've been meaning to ask you. What happened to Sephiroth and Genesis?" Cloud asked, tone careful.

Angeal sighed heavily, forlorn. "We were separated during the battle for Midgar. The three of us were able to hold the front line against Weiss and his people, but the other SOLDIERs began to fall before we could call a retreat. We were overwhelmed by the attacks of both Azul and Rosso. Genesis died then… but Sephiroth just disappeared. I searched for him on the battlefield but found no trace of him."

Cloud had the feeling that this piece of information would be answered for them sometime soon. "He disappeared while you were fighting on Midgar ground?"

The taller man turned to look at Cloud, a calculation glint in his eyes. "Are you… thinking that he could've _stayed_ in Midgar?"

"If Weiss is as powerful as we all think he is, then maybe he either killed Sephiroth, or took him in for one of his experiments. Especially if Hojo had been around at the time." Cloud paused. "Have you considered the fact that Weiss might have him under his control?"

"He would've sent him to attack us and bring us down by now," Angeal replied, shaking his head.

"Weiss likes to play dangerous games. Maybe he's just waiting for the right time to strike us down," said Cloud in a detached tone. Even if that did happen, he would lay down his life save Tifa and her son. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what was.

"We'll both protect them," Angeal said quietly, as if reading his thoughts.

Cloud managed a very small smile and nodded. He moved over to Zack's side and sat, cross-legged, in front of him as Angeal left the room. "What are you drawing?" he asked.

"Everyone!" the child replied happily, showing off the stick figures on the drawing of their mismatched family. "That's you, and mommy, sensei, uncle Vincent and uncle Nero, Cid and Barret…" and he continued to even name a few of the people Cid had brought with him to help with the airship's maintenance.

"It looks good, kid. And what's this?" Cloud asked, pointing to two blurry shapes in the distance; one blue and the other green.

"They watch over me," Zack said. He pointed to the green. "I don't know her name, but she has pretty green eyes. And this one is my daddy."

"Green eyes?" Cloud murmured.

Zack nodded. "Before my mommy came back, she would sometimes sing me a lullaby."

Cloud brushed his thumb over the green shape and smiled inwardly, happy that at least she wasn't alone in the afterlife. "How about we go see if we can have some hot chocolate?"

"Okay!" Zack said, jumping to his feet. He handed Cloud the picture. "I want you to keep it, so that you can see us if you ever get lonely."

"Thanks," Cloud said, folding the picture carefully and then slipping it into a hidden pocket of his pants. "Hopefully we'll never get separated again."

Together the two made for the door, Zack's little hand slipping into Cloud's much bigger one. And for the first time in a long time, Cloud felt a small amount of peace in his heart and mind. He knew that the end of their war was coming up very soon, but for now he would enjoy the time he could with the people he had come to care for so much.

…

After searching for them for nearly an entire month following their last battle, Weiss had been close to losing the small amount of patience he'd had. Until finally, one of the soldiers he had sent out had caught them.

He had to admit that hiding out in the middle of the freezing cold had been a good plan, but had they not angered him by killing two of his best soldiers and oldest companions, he probably wouldn't have found them so quickly.

Now he was determined to tear them apart and bring down their little resistance, and after what the soldier had discovered, well, he had the perfect way to bring them down. His sweet _'Locked-heart_'had spent too much time running around on her own and he wanted her back.

Sitting on what could only be described as a white stone throne, under what had once been the heart of Midgar, he watched images of Tifa as she tended to a child. He couldn't have been more than five, and despite the color of his eyes and shape of his hair, everything else was Tifa's. From the way be squinted when he was upset, to the way he frowned in confusion or frustration. There was no doubt in his mind that his little pet had a son she had kept well hidden until now.

During the time he had had Tifa under his _care_ she had never smiled; she had sneered, grimaced, flinched, and scowled. As much as he had enjoyed bringing about her pain, he had always been curious about the other side of her. In the surveillance that he had received, he had seen the twitch of her lips into a smile many, many times.

If the boy brought about that reaction from her, then he'd just have to bring him with Tifa when she was returned to him.

"Release Hojo's little pet—" Weiss said to one of his soldiers as he sat watching a frozen video of Tifa, her eyes staring into the distance but her flawless face clear. "—and bring him to me." Unfreezing the video, he watched the rest of it and his suspicions were correct when he saw the child jump into her arms.

Tifa hugged him as if the boy was her entire world. Weiss smiled to himself.

The heavy echoing of footsteps reached his ears and he looked up and into cold, emotionless green eyes. He was the perfect, _empty_, soldier Hojo had always dreamed his son to be. And now he would serve Weiss in his plans.

"Are you ready to follow my orders, son of Hojo?" Weiss asked, eyes glowing faintly with mako.

"Sephiroth."

Interesting, Weiss mused, even after all of Hojo's conditioning, the man still offered some resistance. He'd been in isolation, the same as many of the other test subjects, but Sephiroth's humanity had been successfully erased, whereas Tifa's had only been strengthened. "Bring me the boy. Kill whoever gets in the way. _Except_," he stressed, "_her_." He froze the image of Tifa on the screen once more. "You may hurt her, but do not maim her or kill her or I will make you regret ever being born. Understood?"

"Yes," was the monotone reply he received.

"Good. Now go to Icicle Town and search for the boy. Nothing more."

Sephiroth said nothing to the orders he had received and quietly accepted the familiar steel of Masamune. Pulling it from its sheathe, the sound of blade singing through air reached Weiss a second before the wet squelch of it meeting flesh. The soldier that had released Sephiroth and had brought him before Weiss fell to the floor in two sections.

"Have fun," Weiss said with a dark smile, before Sephiroth made his way out.

Leaning back in his throne, Weiss replayed the video of Tifa, eyes narrowing with hatred when he spotted the blond man in the background. He vowed to himself that if he ever encountered the man in person, there would be nothing left for Tifa to cry over.

Smiling to himself once more, his mind began to conjure up all the things he would do to her once she was back under his control. This time, he knew she would be much more _compliant._

…

"You have so many scars."

Tifa nodded, prodding at the new ones from over a month ago. "They add character, don't you think?" she asked with a wry smile.

Cloud's thumb brushed over one that curved around the shoulder-blade that had been tattooed. "Were these from after your time with Weiss?" he asked, cautious.

Tifa shifted at his side and turned so that they were both sitting on the cot, backs against the wall and their bare sides touching completely. "He gave me plenty that I ignore now. But I remember some from my childhood," she said, touching her knee. "That one I got for running down a hill when my father told me not to," she said with a faint smile.

"And this one?" he asked, tapping a faded scar on her chin.

"From the same fall," Tifa said with a small laugh.

Cloud echoed her and felt his eyes get drawn to her own. They were shining with mirth, and her face looked so young in that moment. It was easy to forget how young they both were during a war. He leaned in to touch her lips and his heart soared when she met him halfway, her scent surrounding him as her hair tumbled around his face. "Think we have time for another round?" he asked against her lips, hands smoothing urgently over her ribs towards her waist.

Tifa followed him as he fell back against the bed and shrugged. "It depends on how patient Yuffie and Vincent are feeling. Zack has taken to asking 'why' for every little thing this week."

"We should be quick then," Cloud said, pulling her down for another kiss, fingers tangled in the chocolate dark strands.

Tifa smiled into the kiss and stopped Cloud's warm hands from wandering lower than her waist. Slowly, she pulled them up until she could press them back against the small bed.

Cloud opened his eyes to watch her, curious as to what she was doing. At the close proximity they were in he could catch the darker glints of red in her eyes, and he could admire her dark lashes against pale skin.

Ever so slowly, she leaned into him, lips a feather caress against his own rougher ones, their noses brushing before she angled her face more to the side. His lips parted of their own accord and Cloud shuddered when her tongue slipped into his mouth, tracing his upper lip and then the lower one. When she coaxed his own into her mouth to suck on, his fists clenched and he groaned into her mouth. "Tifa…" he said coarsely, pulling at his hands.

"Cloud," she mimicked, smiling pleasantly. Her hands released his and she allowed him to roll them over so that she was on her back, staring up into his soft face.

"What are you doing to me?" he murmured.

Tifa swallowed hard, unable—or unwilling—to place the emotion she could see in his powder blue eyes. "Don't fall in love with me, Cloud," she whispered.

"I think it's a little too late for that," Cloud said honestly, cupping her jaw and leaning in to slide his lips against hers again.

For some foolish reason, she felt her eyes filling with tears that began to fall one by one. She missed the frown on his face when he pulled back. "Tifa? Is it that awful to have me love you?"

She shook her head and shoved the tears away roughly. "It's just that… the last man I loved and who loved me back is dead. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. And I'm crying because it's too late for me now, too!"

He wanted to laugh at the way her last sentence trailed into a whine, but he knew it would be a bad thing if he did that now. Especially since she had pretty much told him that she loved him, too. His heart was beating erratically in his chest and he wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let her go.

Moving to her side, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him, running careful fingers through her hair to soothe her. "This is what we both need, Tifa," he assured her, kissing her forehead.

"I get the feeling that something bad will happen to us if we allow even a shred of happiness to enter our lives," Tifa whispered against his collarbone.

"I won't try to convince you that nothing will happen, especially with Weiss out there, but we need the companionship and love of another human being. Now that I know that you feel the same way, we can enjoy the time we have left together. Whether it's a month or five years."

"But that's the thing," said Tifa with a sigh. "I don't think I'll be able to handle it if I lose you, too."

"We've both felt that kind of loss before, Tifa. I can't be the only one who wants to have that love in my life once more," said Cloud.

"It'll hurt more in the end," Tifa replied.

Cloud kissed her cheekbone and wrapped the blankets around their naked bodies. "I'm willing to take that risk. Will you?"

She wanted to, Leviathan, she wanted to. But what if she lost him tomorrow? How would she keep going forward in this way without him?

"If… you do lose me, then you'll have your son to keep fighting for. Always stay strong for him, Tifa," Cloud said with a small sigh.

He was right. Even if she lost everything, her son would always be her strength. She wanted to give him the love and the family she had previously denied him. To make Zack happy, she had to be happy, too. She smiled against Cloud's skin, her own fingers rubbing over the slippery scars on his back. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

Cloud chuckled in a low tone, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "You've made everything difficult between us from the very beginning. I think I can handle it."

"Good," Tifa said, pushing Cloud onto his back once more, tears completely forgotten. All of her doubts and fears were being replaced by thoughts of what it would feel like to love another man, and for the first time in a long time, she wasn't afraid to let go. She had been guarded for so long that it would be a little tricky to start anew, but she had the feeling that with Cloud everything would be a little easier.

So, she kissed him and let herself enjoy the moment.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Poor little Zack. What lies in store for him? I can't say much, except that he won't get hurt, but we'll see how everyone takes seeing Sephiroth again. I hope it wansn't confusing, but there was a month long time skip to move a few things along, and that'll show up more in the next chapter. Again, thank you all for reading and for being patient with me for taking so long to update. This story is really closing in on an end, so it won't be long. I need to get some sleep now, but everyone take care and I hope you had a pleasant week!


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